The Temptation of Time
by AirForceMarauder
Summary: Hermione is sent back to the time of the Marauders! How will she cope with the feelings two Marauders in particular evoke in her and when the time comes, will she want to return? Not DH compliant! I don't own HP. Infrequent updates. M for later chapters.
1. Unexpected Visitors

You know the drill… I do not own Harry Potter.

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Unexpected Visitors

Hermione Granger was extraordinary in many ways. For one, she was exceptionally intelligent. For another, she was a witch and had spent the last six years attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As she lay by the pool in her parent's backyard, basking in the dying rays of the sun, she reflected on her previous years at Hogwarts.

So much had happened in so little time. She felt as if she were no longer the person she was before. Memories crowded in on her, coming as they would, in no particular order. They assaulted her and some nearly brought her to tears while others made her smile in remembrance.

She felt a twinge of sadness as she remembered the events in the Department of Mysteries, and another when she thought about the death of Dumbledore the previous year. She shuddered when she thought about the basilisk and being petrified. She had been so lucky that year. She felt anger sing through her veins again when she recalled how the aurors had attacked both Hagrid and Professor McGonagall.

She laughed again at the look on Neville's face when he received the ten points for standing up to his friends and had won the house cup in first year. She smiled fondly when she thought about Hagrid's rock cakes and about Norbert the dragon. She winced, thinking about falling through the trick stairs until she'd learned to jump over them. And she sighed at how foolish she'd been when she had thought Remus had let Sirius in to hurt Harry in their third year.

The sun had long set by the time she snapped out of her reverie. Missing the warmth, she reluctantly entered the house and went upstairs to change for dinner. It was her first night home for the summer and her mother had been cooking up a storm all afternoon. The smells emanating from the kitchen were heavenly and Hermione quickly changed into an old, comfortable pair of jeans and a blue, button down shirt.

Just as she and her parents were sitting down to dinner, Hermione heard the unmistakable _crack_ of someone apparating outside the house. She sprang into action, grabbing her parent's hands and pulling them across the kitchen, through a door and down to the dark wine cellar.

Pulling her wand from her pants pocket, she turned to her parents holding a finger to her lips, "Stay here and don't make a sound. I'll check it out. Stay hidden until I tell you to come up." She crept back up to the top of the stairs, trying to keep her breathing even and under control.

The sound of the doorbell was loud in the empty house and was for a moment confused. _Surely Death Eaters wouldn't ring the doorbell? _She decided to wait to see what happened. Eventually, the doorbell rang again and she could hear someone knocking on the door.

Keeping low, she carefully opened the cellar door, making sure not to make a sound. With her wand raised in a ready position, she crept slowly toward the front entrance hall. With her heart in her throat, she finally reached her destination. Thanking whoever had the house built for not installing a door with glass panes in it, she looked through the peep hole.

Professor McGonagall stood on her front porch. Hermione watched her ring the door bell again and saw her reach up to knock on the door.

"Identify yourself." Hermione kept her voice even despite the cold lump of fear lodged in her throat.

"Hermione," the older witch said, "it's Professor McGonagall. Open the door."

Still being cautious, and remembering that any witch or wizard could take the form of another, she said, "If you're really Professor McGonagall, prove it."

She saw the woman on the other side of the door sigh, though she looked proud of her student for taking such precautions. Then she watched as her favorite professor disappeared! She opened the door to find a tabby colored cat with square markings around her eyes sitting where before had stood the transfiguration teacher.

"Okay. I'm convinced." Hermione made a mental note to learn how to do that this year and opened the door wider so the cat could come in. "Boy, when you want to convince someone, you go all out, Professor."

"Hermione," McGonagall said quickly looking around the living room, "where are your parents? There are things the four of us need to discuss."

She nearly slapped her forehead for forgetting her parents in the cellar. "Please follow me, Professor." She started walking back to the kitchen, calling out as she went, "It's okay, Mom, Dad. It's Professor McGonagall! You can come out now."

By the time they walked through the kitchen door, Hermione's parents were coming out of the cellar. They had obviously been quite scared, but they tried to hide it.

"Goodness!" Hermione's mother exclaimed. "You certainly gave us a fright!"

Turning to his daughter, Dr. Granger asked, "Where did you learn to move that fast, 'Mione? I don't think I've ever gotten from one place to another so quickly in my life!"

"Sorry." Hermione apologized. "After a couple years of 'constant vigilance', as Moody would put it, you learn to move quickly." She smiled ruefully. "I didn't mean to scare you guys."

"Unfortunately," began Professor McGonagall, "I may have some news that will frighten you once again." She paused, and looked at Hermione's parents before continuing. "I need to take Hermione to a safe place." She held up her hand to quiet their protests. "She is not safe here. Death eaters have discovered her whereabouts. As a matter of fact…" she paused again, trying to decide whether to tell them the rest.

"Go on," said Hermione's father, "as a matter of fact, what?"

Professor McGonagall sighed heavily. After a moment, she continued, "You are not safe here either and as Muggles, you are in great danger. The Order has decided that you should all go to safe places."

"Professor," Hermione interrupted, "you said 'places'. Can we not all go to the same place?"

Giving her a sympathetic look, the older woman replied, "No, Dear, I'm afraid not. As Harry's friend, you are in quite a bit more danger than your parents."

Shaking, but determined, Hermione's mother asked, "Where are we going?"

"If I am not mistaken," replied the professor, "you usually go on holiday around this time of year, do you not?" At the couple's nod, she continued. "You will tell everyone that you are going to tour the continent. The Order will provide lodging in safe areas and you will be moved from place to place with an Order member for protection for the remainder of the summer. Once we are sure there is no more immediate danger, you will be allowed to return home, and by that time, we will have found someone to put the Fidelius charm on your home so the Death Eaters will not be able to find it."

"But, Professor," said Hermione, "I thought Professor Dumbledore was the last known person able to do that charm?"

"Yes, Miss Granger." McGonagall sighed wearily. "Hence the need to send your parents on a trip of unknown length. We don't know how long it will take to find someone powerful enough to perform the charm."

Dr. Granger had been looking thoughtful during the explanation of what they were about to do. He finally spoke, saying, "When do we have to leave?"

"As soon as possible, Dr. Granger. The sooner the better, actually."

Suddenly subdued, Hermione mumbled, "I suppose we should start packing"

Patting her arm, Professor McGonagall offered her assistance. Hermione accepted and they all went up the stairs to get their things together.

Several expansion charms and three empty closets later, the three Grangers were ready to depart. Professor McGonagall pulled an old news paper from the pocket of her robes and offered a corner to each of them.

"Our first stop is Hogwarts and we will go our separate ways once we get there."

Once everyone had a good hold on the news paper and their magically expanded suitcases, McGonagall activated the portkey. Hermione felt the familiar tug behind her navel and they were pulled through space, finally landing in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts.


	2. Explanations

Once again, I do not own Harry Potter. Please don't sue me.

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WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

Half Blood Prince spoilers dead ahead! Do NOT read any further if you haven't read HPB!

You have been warned.

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

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Explanations

The Headmaster's office looked exactly the same as Hermione remembered it. Nothing had changed since Dumbledore's death and she got a sense of permanence from the chamber. _It's like he has only stepped out to buy lemon drops or something._

Hermione's parents, being unused to traveling by portkey, landed in a heap on the soft blue rug that just barely cushioned them from the hard stone of the floor. Wincing at the rough landing they made, Hermione moved to help her parents up.

"Don't worry," she said smiling, "I did the same thing the first couple times I had to travel that way."

Rubbing his backside, Dr. Granger complained saying, "Is it always so rough?"

Professor McGonagall replied apologetically, "Not usually. Hogwarts has some rather powerful protective spells and enchantments. Technically we are not supposed to be able to portkey in at all," she said with a small, sad look in her eyes. "That portkey was left over from when Professor Dumbledore was headmaster here. He believed that we should have a few for emergencies."

Seeing the pain in her professor's eyes, Hermione hurried to change the subject. "So, Professor, what now?"

"We are just waiting for a few more people before we can proceed, Miss Granger." A knock sounded at the door. Turning, McGonagall opened the door, speaking to the new arrivals as they entered the room. "Ah, there you are. I trust there were no problems?"

The scarred visage of Mad Eye Moody looked even harsher in the firelight from the hearth. His magical eye rolling nauseatingly, he growled, "None that we couldn't handle, Minerva."

Sickly looking green hair, the color of Rita Skeeter's Quick Quotes Quill was all Hermione could see for the next few moments. She snapped out of her musings when she heard a familiar voice say, "Wotcher, 'Mione!"

Tonks practically barreled through the door, tripping on the carpet. She was, of course the bearer of the acid green hair. She was also wearing a matching T-shirt with the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes logo on it and a pair of Black muggle jeans under black robes. At least four silver colored necklaces were around her neck. Hoop earrings (5 in each ear) and about a dozen bangle bracelets completed the ensemble. Hermione was struck with the odd thought that she couldn't be very effective as an auror going around jingling like Tinkerbell.

Her thoughts were once again interrupted by another person coming through the door. Remus Lupin entered with no fanfare and without saying a word. His eyes were haunted and his frayed robes seemed to hang off of his already lean body. His hair hung limp around his shoulders and it seemed greyer than it was the last time she had seen him.

Wearily he met Hermione's eyes in a semblance of his usual greeting.

"_Poor Lupin," _Hermione thought to herself. _"I wish I could do something for him. He's been taking all this really hard."_

The final member of the group came through the door and Hermione gasped at who it was. Severus Snape, ex-potions master, death eater, one time member of the Order of the Phoenix and, most recently, murderer of Albus Dumbledore swept into the room with his black robes billowing out behind him as usual. Overcome with rage at her former professor, she flew across the room with every intention of slapping him into next week!

Before she closed the gap between them she felt strong arms encircle her waist, holding her back. She struggled against them for a few moments, but it was no use. She stopped struggling and hung limp, letting the arms hold her up.

"Hermione?" She recognized Lupin's voice. "Hermione, are you done?"

She sighed and suddenly couldn't hold in her emotions anymore. With tears streaming down her face, she looked up at Snape with pure hatred burning in her eyes. Her voice was strong when she spoke. "He killed Dumbledore." She drew a shaky breath and said a little louder, "he killed Professor Dumbledore and you're all just standing there!" Her voice was rising with each word and she was now bordering on hysteria! "He MURDERED Dumbledore! How can you just **stand** there?"

Lupin's tired voice answered her, "Hermione, you don't know everything that happened that night." He had to pause for a moment when she started struggling against his hold again. When he managed to subdue her once more, he said again, "you don't know! Stop and let someone explain."

"Fine!" Hermione hissed at her captor. Turning venomous eyes to her once respected professor she said, "Explain. I don't see how it will change the fact that you're a murdering Death Eater."

With contempt in his very manner, Snape regarded Hermione with an icy glare. "Not all is as it seems, Miss Granger." He said in his most oily voice. "For instance, yes, I did kill Albus Dumbledore." His eyes gleamed maliciously when he saw her fight to control her rage. "However," he sneered, "the reasoning behind it is something I doubt your little Gryffindor mind could possibly understand."

"Severus," Moody growled, "get to the point. You've had your fun, now explain yourself before Miss Granger really hurts Remus."

Remus threw a thankful glance in Moody's general direction, keeping most of his attention focused on the girl in his arms who was, moments ago, desperately trying to escape. She had been so quiet in the last few minutes that he almost missed it when she finally spoke to him.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Hermione looked pointedly over her shoulder at the man holding her practically immobile. "Professor Lupin, you can let go. I promise I won't hurt him." She looked contemplatively at Snape. "I admit, he has my attention now." She turned fully to the man she used to look up to. "Very well, **_Snape_**, enlighten me." A scowl to rival his own marred her face as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"First and foremost, Miss Granger, you must understand that I am not a good person by any stretch of the imagination." Hermione rolled her eyes, but did not interrupt. "That being understood, yes, I am a Death Eater," He glared at her, "but I am far from being loyal to Voldemort."

_Flash Back: _

_Black robes billowing behind him, Severus Snape strode down the empty hallways of Hogwarts. His feet carried him unconsciously as his mind worked furiously. Arriving at his destination, he spoke the name of the muggle candy with barely disguised contempt in his voice. "Baby Bottle Pops."_

_The stone gargoyle leaptto the sideand Snape made his way quickly to the Headmaster's office. Not even bothering to knock, he strode into the large, well appointed office and came to a halt in front of the man he had looked up to for the past sixteen years. _

"_Ah, Severus," Albus's eyes twinkled merrily, "to what do I owe this unexpected surprise?"_

"_I received a visit earlier tonight," the potion's master began, "a visit from a rather old friend." At Dumbledore's invitation, he seated himself in one of the comfortable chairs in front of the crackling fire._

_Eyes still twinkling, the Headmaster of Hogwarts regarded his professor, spy and friend. "Who was it, Severus?"_

"_Narcissa Malfoy."_

_Dumbledore's eyes abruptly lost their twinkle. "If I am not utterly mistaken, Severus, that is the first time she has sought you out." At Snape's nod, he asked, "What did she say she wanted?"_

_Not wanting to beat around the bush, Snape looked into his mentor's eyes, "She wants me to help Draco kill you." Running ink stained fingers through his oily hair, he explained, "Voldemort has recruited Draco Malfoy. As you know, Albus, before new recruits are allowed to bear the dark mark, they must do something to prove their loyalty. Voldemort has decided that Malfoy's task will be to rid him of you."_

_Drawing a weary breath, he plowed on, "Narcissa came to me tonight. How she found me at Spinner's End, I'll never know. She is concerned that Draco will not be able to follow through with his task. She asked me, as his head of house, mentor and godfather to help him to complete his assignment. To kill you myself if he cannot." He paused and sighed in frustration. "Albus, she made me swear a wizard's oath!"_

_Looking grim, Dumbledore thought about what he had just been told. He sighed in resignation. "It appears my days are numbered, Severus." _

_Snape leaned forward in his chair almost desperate now, "Headmaster, there has to be another way!" _

"_I don't see how, Severus." Dumbledore stood and went to look out the window. "If Draco does not kill me, he will be killed by Voldemort, yes?" At Snape's nod, he continued, "and if you do not help him to kill me or do it yourself, you will be weakened by your oath and exposed as a supporter of the light."_

"_But, Albus!"_

"_No buts, Severus." With steely resolve in his voice, he turned to his companion, "I will not have other's die because I am afraid. After all, to the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure." _

_Seeing that his attempt at dispelling the somber atmosphere didn't have any effect, he became more serious. "I will get my affairs in order and train Minerva to take my place as the Order head." He held up his hand to forestall any arguments. "This is the way it will be, Severus. I trust you to make it as painless as possible."_

_End Flash Back:_

"So you see, Miss Granger," Snape sneered, "all is not as it seems."

"Thank you, Severus." Professor McGonagall took charge once more. "The Drs. Granger will be escorted to their destinations by Moody, and Tonks. I believe they will be quite safe." At Hermione's reluctant affirmation, she went on, "Hermione, you will be staying with Remus. He has a place where you will both be safe. Severus, I believe you have something for Miss Granger?"

Reaching into the pocket of his robes, Snape pulled out a rolled parchment tied with a black ribbon and a rather large bag that clinked when he moved it as if there were glass bottles inside. Handing her the scroll first, he warned her, "Don't forget to make this every month. It doesn't store well, so you'll have to make it fresh." Then, in true Snape fashion, he sneered at her, "Of course, you may not be able to make it at all."

"Thank you." Hermione glared at him. "I assure you I will be fine."

Then, he handed her the bag, saying, "these are the ingredients you will need for the next three months. I trust you can prepare them for yourself."

Again, Hermione thanked him. His work completed, he brushed past her and exited the room without sayinganother wordto anyone and without a backwards glance.

McGonagall made a tutting sound at Snape's hasty departure. "Well, if you are all ready, there's not much more that needs to be said." She turned to face Hermione. "Say goodbye to your parents, dear. You won't be seeing them until next summer."

Moving towards her parents, she hugged first her mother, then her father. "We'll be alright." They nodded and hugged her fiercely before letting go. Hermione thought she saw her mother wipe away a tear, butshe was too fast to be sure. "I'll write to you. I think Professor Lupin has an owl I can use." She hugged her parents one last time saying, "I love you."

Pulling away from her parents, she went to stand by Remus. She watched as Moody pulled out another Portkey and told her parents to hold on. Suddenly, they were gone and she was alone with her professors.

Remus shrunk down Hermione's trunk so that it was small enough to put in her pocket then offered her part of an old Butter Beer bottle. They said goodbye to McGonagall and he activated the portkey that would bring them to the place where she would be hidden for the rest of the summer.

As Hermione felt the now familiar tug behind her navel, she thought, _"This is going to be a long summer."_


	3. Lupin's Cottage

**Author's note: **

**Many of you have probably been searching for this story… I am so sorry! grovels> I am completely and utterly stupid and accidentally copied a chapter. That's why some of you got notices that chapter 3 was up. It wasn't… but now it is grin>. So, after I accidentally copied chapter 2 and made it chapter 3 I got confused and accidentally deleted the whole dad-gum story! Ducks out of the line of rotten cabbages and tomatoes> I'm SORRY! Please forgive me! I will definitely… um… try ducks> to keep it from happening again. Here's a longer chapter to make up for it. And some Lupin-type goodness :D **

**Also, I have been out of commission for the last couple of days… Percocet is fine if you like to sleep a lot and don't mind doing it all day. Unfortunately, it doesn't do much for the pain (yes, Percocet is a pain pill… e-mail me if you're really interested) but it does knock me out. So, I've cut back from 2 a day to trying to go the whole day without any. As long as I don't move much, I'm fine. It's the moving thing I have a problem with. shudders> I will definitely try to update more often than I have been. That all being said, enjoy the show!

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**

Again, I do not own Harry Potter… much as I wish I did. Evil Grin … What?

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Lupin's Cottage

Remus and Hermione found themselves in the middle of a dark wooded area. The only sounds she could hear were the night rustlings of the woodland creatures they had disturbed with their rather abrupt appearance. The sparse underbrush was alive beneath their feet as they walked towards a destination known only by Remus. The leaves of the trees blocked out most of the light during the day and all light from the stars and moon at night and made the forest cool even in the heat of the summer.

Following a path, mostly hidden by the fallen leaves of the last couple years, Remus led her through the gloomy darkness. They were quick and silent, uttering not a single word to each other as they made their way through the night. Every now and then, Hermione thought she saw a small animal cross the path in front of them and scurry off to dive into a hidden burrow or to climb the trunk of a tree.

Finally they found themselves at the edge of a moonlit clearing. Hermione could see a small brook feeding either a rather large pond, or a rather small lake at the far end. It reflected the half-moon light in a way that made the water sparkle like it was filled with rare gem stones. Near the edge of the water, a small, rotted pier with a partially sunk canoe remembered summers gone, when laughing boys used to jump off the end, screaming, "CANNON BALL!"

At the edge of the clearing, a once cozy looking cottage hunched over an over grown flower garden that held more weeds now than it ever had flowers. Hermione thought it looked cold and uninviting with no lights on and no sign of inhabitation, but they rushed towards the house anyway, ready to be out of the darkness. Remus knocked on the door and led Hermione about ten feet away from the sagging porch. She looked at him quizzically, and her curiosity was peaked further by his silent refusal to so much as meet her eyes.

Suddenly, a small, graying, exceptionally wrinkled and hunched wizard stood before them. There had been no _crack_ of apparation, and for a moment Hermione was completely confused. She watched as Remus and the old man shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. The older man had a thick French accent and made deferential gestures towards Remus.

Watching her so closely, Remus could almost tell what she was thinking, nearly smell her confusion and hear the wheels turning in her agile mind. Her emotions played across her face and he was able to read them as well as any book.

"_Hmm,"_ she thought,_ "he didn't apparate, he's not carrying an invisibility cloak… How did he …" _She stopped mid-thought and turned to stare at her former professor. _"No,"_ she denied to herself, _"we wouldn't be able to see the house!"_

"Figured it out yet, Hermione?" His words snapped her out of her internal battle.

"Partly," she admitted, "though I don't know why we can see the house still, it seems to be under the Fidelius Charm." At Lupin's nod, she continued, "as I said, I can't quite figure out why we can still see the house."

"My dear," the wizened old man spoke to her for the first time, "you didn't think Master Lupin would live in a place like this did you?" He tut tutted for a few minutes more until Remus quieted him.

"Really, Maurice," Remus said softly, "I have not lead her to believe any different." He gestured to his frayed robes and smiled a bit ruefully. "What else would you expect her to think?"

Maurice looked disdainfully at his master's robes and, as only a long-time servant can do, said, "Yes, about your robes, Master Lupin. I do wish you would either replace them or let one of the maids mend them. They are really not befitting a wizard of your stature."

This was obviously a long lived argument between the two men and just as obviously, Remus had no intention of giving in. "Maurice, I've told you before and I will say it again, because you seem to need reminding every time I stay here for a few days, I like my robes. They're finally comfortable and if I can't wear jeans and a t-shirt in the wizarding world, at least I can be comfortable in my robes. I like them, holes, frays and all. That and I don't feel like breaking in another set at this point."

Maurice looked like he wanted to say more, but held his piece. "Very well, sir. Your chambers and the young lady's are ready for you and there are fresh towels in the bathrooms. Will you be requiring anything from the kitchens tonight?"

Remus answered in the negative and Maurice disappeared again as suddenly as he had appeared before. Remus then turned his attention on Hermione. "As you know, my cottage is protected by the Fidelius Charm. Thankfully, Dumbledore made me my own secret keeper or there's no telling how I'd be able to get into my own house."

He paused for a brief moment as if thinking of the correct wording. "Ready?" At her nod, he leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, "Remus Lupin lives at the cottage in the glen."

No sooner had she thought the words back to herself with a wry smile than something that was decidedly not a cottage materialized right in front of her eyes. The run down cottage with the over grown garden was still there, but it seemed even smaller than it had before. The small lake with its dilapidated pier and sunken boat were still there, but the clearing had become almost three times the size it had been.

Behind the run down cottage a sloping lawn led to an impressive Chateau complete with well tended gardens with sculptures and fountains and greenhouses with, no doubt exotic flora to be used in rare potions and floral arrangements. Several windows had warm, welcoming lights in them and Remus led her toward the building without hesitation.

When she was slow to follow, he turned with a questioning look in his eyes. "Hermione?" When she turned wide eyes on him he moved to her side. "What is it?"

Unsure how to voice her question, she settled for one that sounded less invasive, "Where are we?"

Reading between her carefully chosen words, Remus continued leading her to the front door, chuckled at her astonishment. "Where do you think we are?" He asked her quietly.

"I think," she began hesitantly, following him, "that we are at your home." At his encouraging nod, she continued more confidently, "Maurice has a strong French accent and that would suggest we are in France, but I haven't heard any of the other servants, and I'm assuming there are some," another nod, "therefore, it would be foolish of me to assume that we are in France, though I seem to remember you mentioning your mother was French."

When they reached the front door, she halted in her monologue and noticed that he was trying very hard not to laugh outright. "What's so funny, Professor?"

Smothering the last of his chuckles, he opened the door and allowed her to precede him into the house. Not answering her yet, he once again took the lead. Opening a pair of double oak doors, he ushered her inside and smiled at her appreciative gasp. Thinking he may have lost her interest in the face of his family's library, he finally replied with a deceptively straight face, "You are, my dear." At her confused look he elaborated, "You have a keen mind, but you don't always trust your instincts."

He held up a hand to keep her from saying anything. Instead, he waved his hand in the general direction of the fireplace and went over to a side board near a large mahogany desk. She heard ice being dropped into glasses with a _chink, chink._ She heard what sounded like a cupboard opening and the sound of bottles being opened. When Remus joined her, he held two glasses of a rich, bubbling amber colored liquid. He seated himself comfortably in the over stuffed wing back in front of Hermione's. Staring into the flames for a few minutes and taking small sips from his glass, he began telling her what she didn't realize she wanted to hear.

"You were right," he started, "we are indeed in France. Southern France, to be exact. My mother's ancestral home to be even more specific. Maurice has been our butler and caretaker since I was very small. At times he can be a bit too familiar, as you saw outside." Hermione smiled encouragingly at him.

"My parents were pure bloods," he said, "did you know that?" Hermione shook her head, but remained silent. "Well, they were. My mother was French, you knew that already. Father was English. They met during the war against Grindelwald. As you know, witches and wizards live longer lives than muggles. My mother thirty and thought to be quite young when she married my father. He was older by about three years and they naturally waited until the end of the war to start thinking about starting their family.

"For as long as this Chateau has stood here, there has always been a member of my mother's family living here. I was actually born here, like many of my relatives. Mother would have been considered quite old to have had me if she had been a muggle. As it was, she was no longer young. She had me with very little fuss. Quite a lot of pain, I'm sure, but nothing went terribly wrong."

His emotional shutters were visibly pulled into place. "I was made a Werewolf in this very forest." His eyes had grown distant with memories and his voice seemed far away. "My father and mother were well off, to say the least, but no matter how much money one has, terrible things can still happen." He smiled ruefully as he said, "Sometimes, it can even be the reason some things happen.

"One of the scullery maids had seen me go off into the woods alone. I was only four years old. Not nearly old enough to be going into one of the most dangerous forests in Europe, second only to the Forbidden forest of Hogwarts, by myself. She did not feel as if it was her place to tell my parents directly, so she ran to tell the House Keeper who in turn told Maurice, the butler. He was the one to tell my Father, but of course, when so many people are involved, time tends to get away from you."

He paused to take a sip, the firelight dancing in his eyes made them seem as if the fire was inside them rather than in the fireplace where it belonged. Taking a deep breath he continued with his story, "Father ran to the woods. He arrived at the edge of the tree line just as I let out a blood curdling scream! I don't remember it, but father thought that might have been when I first saw the Werewolf.

"Luckily, father never went anywhere without a sword strapped to his waist, it was very fashionable, you see, and also very useful. He wanted his weapon to be fashionable, functional and, above all, expensive, as many men of means did and still do. Many wealthy men would have a sword or cane fashioned completely from gold. The more practical men who also wanted to be able to use the weapon, would have it fashioned of steel, but over lay it with gold. Father was nothing if not practical and, luckily for me, father didn't like gold, but rather silver.

"He found me primarily by the noise I made, apparently I was quite scared and making quite a racket. When he came upon us, the Werewolf had just sunk his teeth into my left shoulder, missing my throat and jugular by inches. Father came up behind the beast and plunged his sword into it. He may have thought it was an ordinary wolf, but the _hiss_ as the silver entered the wolf's body rid him of any delusions he may have had.

"My mother was devastated, of course, and I don't blame her. Father kept assuring her that everything would be alright, but she wouldn't listen." He ran his fingers through his graying hair as he gave voice to the memories assaulting him. "She locked herself in her rooms for days at a time. When she finally came back out, she looked right through me. It was awful. She acted like I had died that night instead of merely being bitten.

"That first full moon was terrifying. No one knew what to expect. I had forgotten about the attack by then. They call it trauma induced amnesia. All I knew then was that my father took me down to the cellar and chained me to the wall. I was scared, but he stayed with me until I started to change. He couldn't stay after that. Not only was it dangerous for him, but he couldn't bear to see me in such pain.

"The next morning, Mother had tears in her eyes as she woke me and began going over my injuries. I suppose she had a change of heart when she realized how badly she had treated me. Perhaps my wounds caused her maternal instincts to overcome her fear and revulsion. I think my father's actions the night before helped show her how a parent is supposed to act.

"Each month after that first one, both Mother and Father were there for me. They stayed until they couldn't stay any more and hurried back as soon as they could. The transformations were never easy, but with my parents there, they were tolerable, at least.

"Mother eventually developed a sense of humor about my condition. She started calling me wolf cub when I would do something cute or wolfish." He smiled fondly at the memory of his childhood nickname. "They both worried about how I would learn when I showed my first spark of 'talent'. Mother knew that I would never be allowed at Beauxbatons and Father was just as certain that I would not be accepted at Hogwarts."

"She found out she was pregnant when I was almost seven years old. She and Father joked about naming the baby Romulus if it was a boy." He smiled with a gentle humor shining in his eyes.

Hermione, of course knew the legend of Romulus and Remus. They were brothers abandoned shortly after birth and left to die. A she wolf found them and instead of killing them, nursed them with her milk. When they grew up, they founded the city of Rome.

A fleeting look of pain overcame Remus's suddenly haggard face. He spoke with difficulty, "Mother was older than she had been when I was born. Though still healthy and full of life, her second pregnancy had taken too much out of her. She didn't sleep well and she could barely eat anything. When the time came for her to deliver, she had no energy to do anything." He passed a shaking hand across his face, "She lost a lot of blood and was unable to give the final push. The Medi-witch helped, but by that time, it was too late. The baby was indeed a boy and with her dying breath, my mother whispered his name. _"Romulus."_

"Father was beside himself. He loved my mother very much and went quite suddenly stark raving mad. He locked himself in their chambers, leaving me and my brother completely alone." He was quiet for a few moments, just watching the firelight dancing on the stone walls of the fireplace.

"Maurice was the one who took us under his wing. He found a woman among the staff who had just had a baby and asked if she would be Romulus's wet nurse. Knowing, of course, that our mother had just died, she said she would. Romulus was raised alongside her daughter, Kiera. They were as close as twins those two. Perhaps she should have been named Remus." He smiled ruefully at his lame attempt at humor.

"It didn't take long for Father to follow Mother. When people love as deeply as they did, it sometimes happens that way. I think he blamed himself for her death."

Minutes passed with only the crackling of the fire in the hearth breaking the silence. She knew that he wasn't done and that he needed her to hear all that he had to say before he lost his courage to tell her. She sat and watched him. His emotions weren't written all over his face as hers would be, but rather in his mannerisms. The way his fingers stroked the beveled edges of the glass he held, how his eyes followed the erratic movements of the fire. He was not as easy to read as some people, but she could discern some of the emotions running rampant in his mind.

"Maurice became like a second father to me. I never called him that, it was always Maurice, but that was fine with him. Maurice, of course, knew of my condition. He, like my parents despaired of me ever being accepted into a school of witchcraft and wizardry. He began to teach me what he knew. I was young for some of the things he taught me, but I was always bright and eager to learn.

"On my eleventh birthday, we received a visit from Dumbledore. He talked to Maurice about the possibility of me attending Hogwarts. I suppose Maurice thought Dumbledore didn't know about my affliction, so he started to tell him. Before my adoptive father could get halfway through, Dumbledore said he already knew! So, that day I got the best birthday present I have ever received in my life. I got my first Hogwarts letter. Dumbledore and Maurice worked out where I would stay for my transformations and how we would keep it from the other students. A few days later, Maurice and I made our first trip to Diagon Alley."

Remus's eyes shone with the pleasure of his memory. Gone were the mournful eyes that told of his hardships. Gone were the worry lines and the fatigue that had plagued his features. In their places were joy, hope and happiness. Hermione marveled at the change it wrought in the man she had known for so long, but was only now getting to know. She vowed to herself to be the reason for this marvelous transformation some day.


	4. Knowledge is Power

No, I don't own them… why do you keep asking?

Knowledge is Power

Hermione woke to brilliant sunlight streaming in her bedroom window, bathing her face in warmth. After taking a long, wonderfully hot shower, she decided against the small selection of wizarding attire she owned (mostly because they were all black school robes) and dressed in her favorite pale pink top, form fitting black pants and comfortable black shoes.

She and Remus had stayed up long into the night, talking about their pasts and making plans for the next couple of months. Professor McGonagall, acting as head of the Order, had asked Remus to continue Hermione's training over the summer. They had set up a rigorous schedule, setting aside time each day for different subjects and they would end each work day with a duel. Remus had also promised to help her become an animagus for when she might need to hide.

Not bothering to dry her hair, she rubbed some curling gel between the palms of her hands and ran her fingers through it, letting it dry how it would. Finally finished with her morning ritual, Hermione gave in to her grumbling stomach and made her way down the curved staircase to the ground floor in search of something edible. Delicious smells were coming from the right, so she turned toward the wonderful smell and followed her nose to what she hoped would turn out to be the kitchen.

The sight that greeted her was one she would forever remember. There, with his back to the door, barefoot, wearing tight, faded blue jeans, a soft blue and white flannel button down shirt, and a snowy white apron stood none other than Remus Lupin! He hummed an upbeat tune as he scrambled eggs, flipped pancakes and checked on the bacon cooking in the oven. All the while, Hermione stood frozen in the kitchen doorway, watching her former professor.

"_I have never seen him so relaxed and… happy!"_ she thought to herself.

Her eyes were drawn to the damp curls at the base of his neck. _"He must've taken his shower right before I did." _The thought sent an odd thrill through her and she was, for a moment, shocked. _"I did not just think that about Professor Lupin!" _She shook her head slightly, trying to control her wayward thoughts.

Remus chose that moment to turn around, finding her staring at him from the doorway. "Good morning, Hermione! Did you sleep well?" He turned back to the stove as if it were a common, every day thing to have a seventeen year old witch staring at him while he made them breakfast.

"Yes," she said shakily. Clearing her throat she tried again, "Yes I slept alright." She bit her tongue before she could ask him if he'd slept well too. _"What is the matter with me?" _she thought angrily to herself, _"Pull yourself together, Girl!"_

Remus gave her an odd look, but shrugged his shoulders and piled the food onto two plates. Giving her an odd little smile, he said, "I hope you're hungry."

"I didn't know you could cook." Hermione took her plate and a glass of orange juice from him and followed him into the dining room.

"Well, you know Maurice raised me." She nodded. "You also know that Maurice is the butler here." Again, she nodded and he continued, "It shouldn't be too much of a stretch for you to imagine where I spent most of my time in this monstrosity of a house." He smiled ruefully. "I spent many happy days in the servants' quarters."

"Maurice taught me everything he knows, yes, but he was not the only one who did. Most of the servants had something to teach me… and I don't mean just magic. They taught me cleaning charms, yes, and cooking charms as well." He took a drink of his juice and said in a conspiratorial manner, "Our chef even taught me to cook the Muggle way!" He smiled with the memories and said softly, "Maurice, of course, thought it was a wonderful idea. He said I would never know when such a skill would come in handy."

Hermione smiled softly. As strange as it might seem to pure blooded wizards and witches for a servant to raise his master's children, Hermione thought it was wonderful that Remus obviously thought so highly of his surrogate father.

"So," Remus said, throwing his napkin down by his empty plate, "what shall we concentrate on today?"

Hermione swallowed her last bite and cleared her throat. "I'd really like to learn more wandless magic." Seeing his eyebrows shoot into his hair line, she hurriedly went on, saying, "for instance, that blue flame charm you used when the Dementors stopped the train." Warming to her subject, Hermione leaned closer to Remus. "I haven't come across that one in a book yet, and believe me, I've looked!"

Remus smiled gently at her, pleased that he could offer her knowledge she could not find elsewhere. "I am not surprised that you couldn't find it in a book." She looked puzzled, so he explained, "That particular charm is very old magic. It has been passed through my family for generations. I suppose no one has thought to publish a book on our family's unique charms, potions and spells."

"You mean there's more?" Hermione was visibly excited about that prospect and didn't try to hide it.

Remus nodded. "Most pure blooded families have their own spells and such." He thought for a moment before saying, "I do believe there are roughly seven hundred spells, incantations, charms and potions that are unique to the Lupin family and another five hundred or so that are unique to the Boncoeur family. My mother was a great believer in having things written down so they aren't forgotten by future generations."

Hermione's eyes lit up like Hogwarts' Christmas trees when he said that everything was written down. "Professor! Do you mean to tell me that there's a book on this and I haven't seen it?" Suddenly, as though troubled by something, her enthusiastic smile turned into a suspicious half-glare. "I thought you said no one in your family thought to publish one."

Remus tried to hide his grin, and almost managed to succeed. "I did, in fact, say that. However, that does not mean that there was not one written. As I said, my mother was a great believer that knowledge, especially familial knowledge, should not be lost to the generations of the future. She spent the years after the war writing to surviving family members asking for their personal spells and enchantments and such." He paused, seeing that Hermione had that hungry look in her eyes that was reserved solely for the acquisition of knowledge. "She transcribed the responses from our relatives into several Grimoires. I believe that only she took the time to learn all of them."

"Would you let me read – "

"I'm terribly sorry, Hermione. Those books are meant for the family only." He saw the sadness begin to creep into her eyes and decided to explain to the best of his ability. "You see, Hermione, when my mother wrote the Grimoires, she cast several spells on the books themselves. Should any one but a Lupin or a Boncoeur lay eyes on them, several curses will activate at once. I believe each has the standard blindness curse on them, but I believe my mother was a bit more protective of her volumes. I wouldn't be surprised if they burned your hands very badly as well." He paused, "Though I doubt very much that she would allow her books to kill anyone."

She gave him an incredulous look, sputtering, "So, you're telling me that only your children will be able to read them someday?"

"Not at all." He smiled, "I merely said that only a Lupin or Boncoeur can read them. I didn't say that they had to be born a Lupin or Boncoeur."

Comprehension slowly dawned in her eyes. "So," she said uncertainly, "your wife could read them?" He nodded. "How about someone you adopt?" Again he nodded. She seemed lost in thought for a moment until he spoke again.

"You know, Hermione," he said slowly, "I could just learn the ones I think you would like and teach them to you."

He eyes lit up once more. "Would you, Professor?"

Remus winced and a sudden idea crossed his mind. "I will teach you anything you desire, under one condition."

She looked at him suspiciously for a moment before saying, "and that would be…?"

He smiled across the table at her and made his request, "That you call me Remus when I am not teaching you something. I can handle the Professor title while I am instructing you, however, I would like very much for us to be more informal while you are in my home." He stopped and held his breath, hoping she would agree.

Finally, after what seemed like ages to him, but was only a few seconds, her face split into a huge grin and she nodded her agreement.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Remus rubbed his hands together and asked, "So, what do you want to learn about today?"

Without a moment's hesitation, she started listing things she wanted to learn. "Well, the blue flame spell first. That should be fairly easy to master, right?" He nodded his head and she took that as a sign to continue. "Then I want to learn to apparate properly. I don't think I got it down quite right when they taught it at school. Oh! I would love to learn the spell to make Port keys. And then there's the animagus transformation and – "

"Hermione!" he interrupted, "We don't have to cover everything in a single day!" He laughed a little at her crestfallen look. "We can concentrate on what you mentioned so far, as most of those spells aren't that hard to master." He smiled a little as her eyes lit up again. "Don't forget, we also have to set aside some time to duel. I think before dinner would be a good time. It is rather hard to duel on a full stomach."

"Erm… Professor?"

"Yes?"

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip for a moment as she thought of how to voice her concerns. Finally she decided to just put it out there, so to speak, and hope that he didn't take it the wrong way. "I'm not at school."

"Yes," he replied, a bit puzzled as to what she meant.

"Well," she hesitated then plowed ahead, "won't I get in trouble for doing magic outside of school?"

He chuckled and said teasingly, "Really, I would have thought you would have known this, Hermione." Seeing that she was still confused, he asked, "How old are you?"

"Well, I suppose legally, I'm seventeen, though with the whole time turner thing, I'm closer to eighteen… and… I..." She trailed off and slowly raised her eyes to meet her former professor's in sudden understanding. Her next words barely came out as a whisper. "I'm of age."

Remus smiled broadly at his companion. "I knew you were the smartest witch of your class."

"I'm of AGE!" she practically squealed in her excitement!

He smiled indulgently at his young charge, glad to see her excited about something that had obviously slipped her mind. "Yes, yes. You are now of age to do practically anything you like. And, being muggle raised, you have some opportunities open to you that pure bloods do not."

Hermione looked at him quizzically. "Like what, Professor?"

"Well, getting your driver's license for one."

This time, he had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud at her expression. Emotions ran across her face like shadows, shock, disbelief and excitement battled for supremacy for a few seconds. Finally excitement won. She jumped up and began pacing the room.

She started talking under her breath very quickly. "Oh, there's so much I want to do! I can get my driver's license and my apparation license! OH! No more floo powder! No more portkeys! I – "

Hermione lost her train of thought when the sound of his laughter registered in her ears. Remus couldn't keep the joyous sounds from escaping his lips as he watched his most prized student assimilate her latest discovery. For a tense moment, he thought she would think he was laughing at her. His fears were laid to rest when her eyes began to sparkle and the corners of her lips curved slowly upwards.

"I was being rather silly, wasn't I?" She smiled as she blushed and returned to her seat.

"Never fear," he reassured her, "it is alright to get excited about things." He smiled with his eyes and patted her hand. "There hasn't been enough laughter in the last couple of months."

"Well, shall we retire to the Library?" he asked. "That would probably be the best place to start.

Once again, the knowledge hungry look came into her eyes and she nodded enthusiastically at his suggestion.

Smiling at her obvious approval, he rose from his chair and pulled out Hermione's chair so she could also rise. He offered her his arm and when she linked her arm with his, he lead her to the book lined room that had called to her the night before.

They reclaimed their seats from the night before. As soon as they were seated, Lupin held out his hand, palm up. In his hand were blue flames merrily dancing in the slight air current made from their exhalations.

"Alright, let's begin."

Authors Note:

Many of you have reviewed and for that I say THANK YOU! Those of you that got a reply (I hope I got all of you) were asked what animal you thought Hermione should be. I think I have a fairly good idea what I want her animagus form to be, but I wanted to put it out there for you. When you review this story, please tell me what you think.

Just so you know, so far I've gotten these responses:

Owl

Lion(ess)

She Wolf

Unicorn

For some reason, my reviewers have decided that Hermione becoming a cat animagus is over done. I actually have not seen any fan fics that turn her into an animagus at all. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places? If you have a fan fic you like that has to do with Hermione becoming or being an animagus, send me the link. I may need something to do when I'm putting off doing homework (like now, for instance).

Also, those of you who got a chapter update… psych! Just kidding. I am working on the next chapter as you read this. It should be up by Friday but don't quote me on it.

Thanks for Reading,

AF Marauder


	5. Training

Chapter 5: Training 

"Again!" Remus barked, sending a volley of curses, jinxes, hexes and charms at Hermione, putting her through her paces.

They had been dueling for the last three hours in the chateau's huge ballroom. They were both tired, and that made their moves a little sloppy, but they kept each other on their toes. Remus said it was good practice for the war they knew was coming. Everyone would be tired, but if she could pace herself and keep her wits in the heat of battle, it would help keep her alive long enough for it to be over.

Hermione rolled out of the way of Remus's curse, moving easily in her spandex workout clothes. She finished the move on her feet, facing her opponent. She threw her own curse at him without missing a beat. It didn't hit her mark, but the charm she sent hard on it's heels did. Remus rose in the air and flipped end over end until Hermione took pity on her dueling partner.

After a few seconds of watching him with an amused expression, her breathing had slowed enough to ask, "Do you give?"

He sounded a little sick when he replied, "I suppose I have no choice."

Still flipping head over tail, Remus dropped his wand to show he was finished dueling and Hermione immediately ended the charm, quickly performing a cushioning charm to break his fall.

"Thanks." He said gratefully.

"No problem," Hermione replied. "I wanted to defeat you in a duel... not kill you."

Remus looked at his student with barely concealed pride in his eyes. "You've done remarkably well, Hermione. You know, I was the dueler of the Marauders." His smile was a bit sad for a moment, but he shook it off and smiled at Hermione.

Wanting to dispel the impending depression, Hermione teased him saying, "Yea, you're so big and bad! You must be letting me beat you 2 out of 5 times!"

His scowl turned into a wolfish grin and when she turned her back to him, still laughing, to get a drink of water, he hit her with a tickling charm. Unfortunately for him, one of the first things he had taught her from his mother's books was a personal shielding spell. That particular spell stopped most charms and curses... and rebounded them on their caster!

Also, unfortunately for him, the shield spell is a bit unstable! It had a nasty tendency to double or sometimes triple the effects of the original! Remus dissolved into a fit of laughter so intense that he could barely draw a breath!

Hermione whirled around and, seeing Remus's predicament, she did the counter charm quickly, not even trying to hide the smirk on her face. "That will teach you."

Gasping for breath to fill his aching lungs, Remus could only nod. When he had nearly regained control of his breathing, Hermione had the terrible urge to tickle him the old fashioned way!

_'What's the matter with me?!'_ She thought, furious with herself. _'Remus doesn't want to be tickled! Why did I even think that?'_

"Hermione?"

_'Oh, GOD!'_ Hermione blushed to the roots of her hair. "What?"

Remus looked at the younger witch with confusion written all over his face. "Are you okay, Hermione?"

Still blushing, Hermione turned away from Remus and tried to make her voice sound even. "I'm fine. Do you want to duel again, or can we go eat dinner?"

Sighing, Remus said he was going to take a shower before dinner and was even more puzzled with her behavior when her cheeks once again flamed bright red. He was still wondering about it as he trudged wearily up the stairs to get cleaned up.

When he came down for dinner, he found Hermione and Maurice talking with each other in the kitchen. The way she listened so intently to what he had to say made him wonder what they were talking about. He watched for a few minutes, but could not make out what they were saying.

He walked through the door just in time to hear the tail end of the conversation.

"And then," Maurice said, waiving his hands to emphasize the point he was making, "the whole thing collapsed on itself with young master Lupin inside!"

Hermione dissolved into a fit of giggles and only managed to compose herself after she noticed Remus leaning against the wall. Her eyes sparkled with suppressed mirth and the look she gave him made Remus want to make her smile more often.

"I see Maurice has been regaling you with tales from my childhood."

Still stifling her laughter, she smiled and said, "Yes. He was telling me about the tree house you and the other Marauders built the summer after your second year!"

Remus winced, but remembering the music of her laughter couldn't be angry with his old friend for telling his 'secrets'. After all, several of them were too funny not to share.

"Why don't you join us for dinner, Maurice?" Remus glanced at Hermione to make sure she was alright with that. Seeing her smile, he continued, "I'm sure you have a few more stories to tell this lovely young lady about."

Maurice agreed to dine with them and they all had a wonderful evening full of stories about Remus's youth. The funniest ones naturally included the Marauders. Hermione laughed harder than she ever had before and as she trudged wearily up the stairs to her room, though her feet felt as heavy as lead, her heart was light. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

Author's note:

Once again, I'd like to thank all the people who've written to me and told me what you thought about my story. I know it's going a little slow right now (okay, a lot slow) but it will pick up here very soon! Now that the Fall Semester is over, I can concentrate on some of my many projects I have laying around the house. My husband will be so pleased... maybe I'll even finish one or two!

Thanks for checking back here every so often. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Gotta go get the cat out of the Christmas tree now. Merry Christmas, a Blessed Yule and many happy returns!

AF Marauder


	6. Fool Moon

Chapter 6: Fool Moon

The night of the full moon was rapidly approaching and Hermione set to work on the Wolf's Bane potion that would render Remus harmless while he was in his altered state. The directions were far from easy, but she wasn't the smartest witch in her year for nothing. Finally, after almost two whole days of working on the most difficult, most time sensitive and time consuming potion she'd ever made, it was ready.

Wearily, she trudged with leaden feet into the kitchen with the fruits of her labor clutched safely to her chest in an old box. Carefully she set the box full of single dose vials near Remus's place setting and sat heavily at her usual place at the breakfast table. Putting her head down on the table with a thump, she sighed heavily with relief and exhaustion.

Moments later, looking a bit peaked because of the coming full moon, but whistling a perky tune, Remus sailed into the breakfast room with two plates heaped with eggs, bacon and buttered toast. He stopped in his tracks abruptly when he caught sight of Hermione with her head down on the table. He quietly put the plates on the table and moved to crouch down beside her chair.

"Hermione?"

All he got for his effort was a pained moan.

"Hermione," he tried again. Getting no response, he moved to stand behind her and, noticing how tense her shoulders were, began to massage her neck and shoulders. He was rewarded with a low moan that had nothing to do with pain. Curious as to what his charge had been up to that would drain her so completely, he finally asked, "Hermione, what did you do?"

Lacking the will power to raise her head, or even answer, she lifted her arm, pointing at his usual place. Its message delivered, the hand dropped limply onto the table with a heavy thud.

Remus, following the direction of her arm, saw an old shoe box sitting at his place. Curiosity eating him, he stopped massaging her shoulders, and went to the other side of the table to investigate. What he saw in the box brought a smile to his time-worn face. About three dozen stoppered glass vials cushioned with soft cotton batting stood in neat rows. Each was filled with exactly one dose of the Wolfs bane potion.

The smile turned into a frown as Remus quickly calculated that the amount of potion in the box would be enough for twelve werewolves to remain peaceful on the night of the full moon. He had heard Severus complain many times about the short shelf life of this particular potion. He had hated that he had to make it every month for one of his former enemies. Any thing he had done to try to make it last longer had either met with no results at all, or weakened effects of the potion itself.

Surprised by Hermione's apparent wanton disregard for the cost of most of the ingredients used in the potion, he turned to her with a stern reproach on his lips.

Before the words could be spoken, Hermione sighed tiredly. "I can hear you thinking, Remus."

"Why?" He asked. "You know I'm well off now, but that is no reason to waste such expensive ingredients!"

Suppressing a yawn, Hermione sat up for the first time since he had come into the breakfast room. "Do you really think I would waste any ingredients?"

He looked at her quizzically. "I wouldn't have thought so, but that's what I'm confused about! You made enough for twelve werewolves! I know Severus told you that the potion doesn't store well."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Remus. I though you were observant." When he only looked puzzled, she went on. "Do you remember that charm out of your mother's grimoire?"

"Which one? There are several."

"The one about keeping a potion in stasis for a up to a year." She smiled as comprehension dawned in his eyes. "I see you remember. I brewed a potion last week that had to be used immediately or it would have no effect. I put the stasis charm on it and took the potion before I started on yours. It worked, so I knew I could use the charm on the Wolf's bane potion."

Remus could only gape at her in wonder.

Seeing that he was speechless, Hermione stood and stretched. "The only thing you have to do to break the charm is unstopper the vial. You'll have to drink it then, of course, but I guess if you're ready to unstopper it, you're ready to drink it." Yawning hugely, she started making her way to the door. "You now have a year's supply of Wolf's bane potion and you'll never have to ask Severus Snape for it again."

She smiled tiredly over her shoulder at him. "You know the best part?" He mutely shook his head. Taking that for permission to continue, she smiled brighter and said, "All those doses came out of the same batch. I still have ingredients for two more 'months'!"

Hermione walked out the door and was just putting her foot on the bottom step to go upstairs to bed when Remus caught up with her. Still at a loss for words, he did the only thing he could think of. Taking her in his arms, he hugged her to him tightly, kissed her forehead and said, more sincerely than he ever had before, "Thank you."

A/N:

Okay, this has been sitting in my computer for the past week and I keep telling myself I'm going to add more to it. I seem to be delusional lately. So, I decided to just post it and maybe add a Fool Moon Part Deux. We'll see. I know it's a lot shorter than it should be. Hopefully the next one will be longer. My muse has apparently deserted me.

AF Marauder


	7. Fool Moon Part Deux

Fool Moon Part Deux

After wearily trudging up the stairs to her chambers, Hermione had fallen onto the bed in exhaustion and promptly fallen into a deep sleep. Not hearing a peep from her for almost seven straight hours, Remus became concerned. More than once, he found himself at her door, poised to knock. More than once, he found himself hesitating, convincing himself that she would not welcome his involvement. Finally, after the clock had made a full rotation, he became so worried that he finally knocked on her door. Not receiving an answer, he knocked again. Again, there was no answer, so he carefully and silently opened her door.

There, laying on top of her covers, still fully clothed, shoes and all, and drooling slightly on her pillow, was the amazingly intelligent girl who had freed him of the necessity of begging Severus Snape for his monthly wolfsbane potion. Seeing her shiver slightly in her sleep, he looked around for a blanket to cover her. Finding one on the over stuffed armchair where she liked to read, he grabbed it and hesitating momentarily, he took in her rumpled appearance.

Suddenly, a thought came unbidden to his mind that Hermione was quite possibly the most intelligent and beautiful witch he had ever known. His heart beating a little faster, he looked at her as if it was the first time. He took notice of her auburn hair, now tamed each morning into tight ringlets or shining waves, the smooth skin of her face and the pert upturning of her nose. _'She's beautiful!' _He saw her dark lashes making half moons on her pale cheeks and pictured in his minds' eye her sparkling cinnamon colored eyes.

Letting his eyes roam, he found himself noticing her womanly attributes. _'Not a little girl anymore, Moony, old boy.' _Her breasts were not the small fashionable handfuls that all the girls seemed to have these days, but rather, the full, generous bosom of a mature woman. Her waist narrowed just before flaring into beautifully curved hips and her legs seemed to go on forever. He knew she was about a half foot shorter than his six feet, but knowing that didn't make her legs seem shorter.

His face flamed as he caught himself fantasizing about those legs. _'Moony! She's a student!' _But the little devil on his shoulder chose that time to argue, _'Correction, former student'_. _'Yes, a lovely, attractive, smart former student, but a student nonetheless'_. To further add to his inner turmoil, he became aware of his body's reaction to what he had just seen. His trousers were becoming uncomfortably tight. To stop his train of thought and to hopefully get his libido under some kind of control, he quickly covered her with the blanket he had gotten from the chair.

Silently berating himself for taking unfair advantage of the sleeping Hermione, Remus mentally kicked himself all the way out her door. He couldn't stop himself from looking back once more at her sleeping form. She looked so peaceful knowing she was safe and that Remus would do everything in his power to keep her that way.

_'Perhaps a little fantasizing wouldn't hurt. After all, she'll never know.'_

She was running through the woods, the smell of damp leaves all around her and the feel of the moist, packed earth under her feet. Her keen nose picked up the smell of her friend, her mate. Her eyes, more sensitive in this form than in her natural one, saw the tracks of a small animal and the thought crossed her mind to investigate, but she decided not to and instead began searching for the other like her.

The moonlight shone in a dappled pattern through the leaves of the trees and she saw the shadow of her mate flit silently ahead of her. She increased her speed until she was a pale blur moving faster than she ever had before and more silently than she would have thought possible. Suddenly she burst into a clearing with a still pool in the middle. There, standing motionless as if he were made of stone, was the one she sought.

Moving gracefully, she went to him and stood by his side. They stared into each others eyes. After several moments, the other turned to look into the pool and his attention to it drew her gaze to the still water. Seeing her reflection in the glass-like surface, she saw what the other was trying to show her. Her reflection stared back at her and the final puzzle piece fit into place. She turned back to her companion and nodded her understanding. He bowed as if to acknowledge her and then simply vanished.

Hermione woke with a start. Sunlight streamed in the bedroom window and fell in strips across her bed. Groggily, she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Looking down at her rumpled clothes, she felt a moment of chagrin that she had fallen asleep in the clothes she had worn the day before... and the day before that.

'_Huh... I must have been really tired" _she thought to herself. _'I am so glad I don't have to make that potion every month! Not that I wouldn't if Remus needed -'_

Her thoughts came to a grinding halt when she realized what she had just said (if only to herself). _'Hermione Jane Granger! What is the matter with you? He's your teacher!"_

Somewhere in the back of her mind, as though she had a little devil on her shoulder, Hermione thought, _'But he isn't really your professor. He hasn't been for a long time.'_

Confusion, and embarrassment warred with desire. She knew he'd never look at her that way. He was much too proper. She should be much too proper to look at him that way, but once she had, it was all she could do to keep him out of her mind.

She went through her morning routine quickly and somewhere between showering and brushing her teeth, she came to a decision.

_'Perhaps a little fantasizing wouldn't hurt. After all, he'll never know.'_

Hermione calmly walked down the stairs, determined to at least keep her budding feelings for her former professor to herself. She looked in the kitchen and not finding Remus, looked in the dining room. There she found Maurice polishing the silver.

"Maurice, have you seen Professor Lupin?"

"I believe Master Lupin is in the Library, Mademoiselle. I don't think he slept a wink last night. He was very worried about you."

The shock Hermione was feeling showed on her face. "Why, Maurice? Why was he worried about me?"

Maurice paused in his polishing and looked at her directly for the first time. "He was worried about you because you slept for so long. He said that you had been working on a potion for him and if he had known how exhausting it would be for you, he would not have let you do it."

Filled now with shock for an entirely different reason, she asked, "Er... Maurice? How long was I out? I only went upstairs a few hours ago."

"Non, Mademoiselle, slept the clock around twice." Maurice looked at her expression and correctly interpreted it as disbelief. "You must have been very tired."

"Yes, I suppose I was" she answered distractedly. "I hope you'll excuse me. I need to see Remus."

Maurice nodded, though she didn't notice. _'A whole day? I slept for a whole day? No wonder Remus was worried about me!"_

If she had been paying attention to the aging Butler, Hermione would have seen the knowing look in his eyes. Maurice had noticed that the young mademoiselle had called his Master 'Professor Lupin' until she became distracted. Then he became 'Remus'. _'I do hope Master Lupin recognizes this for what it is. It would be so nice for him to have a companion.'_ Thinking about the future, Maurice went back to polishing the silver with a smile on his face.

"Remus!" Hermione hurried through the halls of the huge old house towards the beckoning light of the Library. "Remus!"

Before she got to the doorway of the Library, Remus appeared framed in the entrance. He smiled when he saw her awake after such a long time. The worry lines etched into his forehead disappeared and were replaced by fine laugh lines around his eyes.

_'My, but he's handsome when he smiles.'_ The thought entered her mind and this time she didn't push it away.

"Well, well. Sleeping beauty awakes!" Remus grinned laughingly and couldn't resist teasing her a bit, though his words were closer to his feelings than he would generally like.

Through her blush, she smiled back at him and decided to tease right back. "Well, if the 'big bad wolf' had come and woken me up, I wouldn't have slept so long!"

Remus gave her a particularly wolfish grin and mock growled at her playfully. Still smiling, he asked, "So, what shall we do today?"

Excitedly, she related her dream to him saying, "I know what my animagus form is! If we could work on that, I think I could finish it today!"

Impressed that she had discovered her animagus form so soon in her dream, when it took many wizards twice as long to discover theirs and then only with long hours of meditation, he quickly agreed. He conjured a three dimensional hologram of a wolf. "Now just concentrate. Picture it in your mind and when you think you have it right, let your body flow into it."

Minutes later, a wolf with fur the color of Hermione's hair with cinnamon eyes looked up at him and, after taking a turn around the room, came back and sat near his feet! Remus looked the wolf over and noted the softness of her fur, the length of her muzzle, and the pads of her paws.

As he was examining her right front paw, she suddenly lost the form and Remus was left holding the hand of the young woman he now fantasized about.

"I did it!" Hermione was breathless with more than just exhilaration. Her hand was still in Remus's and she felt the dry warmth of his palm. His face split into a grin and his eyes showed her how proud he was of her accomplishment. Their eyes met and they both felt pulled toward each other.

Tearing his eyes away from hers, he said the only thing he could think of. "That was amazing! If you keep that up and practice every day, maybe you'll be able to keep me company on full moon nights!"

Hermione suddenly had a vivid image of them running together through the woods, playing in the moonlight and possibly more. She blushed and lowered her eyes saying, "I'd like that. I'd like that very much."

_Author's Note_

Again, sorry about the infrequent updates. Now you all know what her animagus form is! YAY!!! A 'red' wolf!

For those of you who didn't get the answer to the challenge... it was Sleeping Beauty! "Remus Lupin lives at the cottage in the glen."

Okay, I'm running away from the spiders now! TA


	8. Full Moon Rising

Chapter 8: Full Moon Rising

For the next month, Hermione practiced her animagus transformation until she could transform into her wolf form as easily as taking the next breath, and when the transformation was effortless and instantaneous, she practiced holding the form. Each day saw marked improvement in her ability to hold her animagus form. Remus commented more than once on her progress.

She practiced moving like a wolf because it is quite different than moving like a human. Four legs are apparently more difficult to coordinate than two. Her movements, even in her human form, became fluid and graceful. She barely made a sound in either form as she moved from one room to another, often accidentally scaring Remus by sneaking up on him so quietly that even his acute hearing could not detect her movements.

Hermione found that she could run farther and faster in her seemingly tireless alternate form and spent her restless summer nights running through the forest following trails, sometimes running for the sheer joy of it. The speed of her new form continuously amazed her heightened senses let her know everything about her surroundings. She rarely stumbled and never fell, and in her human form, her feet were always placed deliberately and she walked with confidence, knowing she would not stumble on an unseen root.

She practiced using those amazing wolf senses and had Remus hide from her so she could smell him out. Sometimes, she had him hide somewhere in the dark, so she could use her keen eyesight to find him. She soon found that loud noises hurt her human ears as they would in her other form. She and Remus found themselves spending quiet evenings together in front of the fire, reading books in the library.

The night before the full moon, she spent the night in her room, curled up on her bed in her wolf form just to see if she could hold the form all night without conscious effort. When she woke and realized that she was still in her wolf form, Hermione felt like jumping for joy! Now, instead of waiting inside while Remus roamed free as a werewolf, as she had the last full moon, she could be out there with him and not be in any danger! Now she would be able to share the part of his life that she had dreamed about the month before.

Suddenly full of energy, Hermione leapt off of her bed and ran out the door to find Remus. Starting at his bedroom door, she took in the scent of him. Pine forest and wolfish musk filled her sensitive nostrils and she followed the scent that was uniquely him. Down the stairs, past the Library and into the Kitchen she followed his trail. With her nose to the ground, she didn't notice him right in front of her until his bare feet came into her line of sight.

Looking up at him and giving him a wolfish smile with her lounge lolling out of her mouth, she wagged her tail at him. He smiled at her, not knowing why she was in her animagus form so early in the morning or why she was in such a good mood.

"Good morning, Hermione." He laughed at her wolfish behavior. "I don't know what has you so playful this morning." A shadow slowly passed over his face as he was reminded of the approaching full moon.

Seeing his good mood evaporate, and instinctively knowing the cause, Hermione gave in to a sudden, wolf-like urge, she raised up on her hind legs and placed her front paws carefully on his shoulders. She looked into his eyes solemnly for a few moments then with an evil look in her eyes, she gave his cheek a big sloppy lick!

"Ack! Hermione!" Remus made a show of wiping off the wolf drool, but he was smiling as he did it. "Thank goodness you're already house trained."

Suddenly a human Hermione was standing in front of Remus. Keeping his face impassive so she wouldn't now how impressed he was with her rapid progress, he took in the sight of her. Her hands were on her hips and he thought she looked like a goddess.

"House trained, huh?" She raised an eyebrow at him. Unable to keep the look on her face for long, she let her wonderful mood take over and grinned up at him.

"I did it!" she exclaimed. "I stayed in wolf form all night!"

Remus stared at the young woman in wonder. She had already mastered her animagus form and that in itself was a testament to her dedication. It had taken Padfoot and Prongs over three years to master their forms. She truly was the most intelligent and hardworking witch of her age.

"So," she said, "are you up for some company tonight?"

Remus's shocked expression was priceless and she almost couldn't hold back the laughter that bubbled up from her chest.

"Er- I mean..." he stuttered.

"Remus, if you don't want me to go, I don't have to. I just thought you'd like some company." Sadness began to creep into Hermione's eyes.

Seeing the change come over her, he felt like kicking himself for making the joyous light leave her eyes. He rushed to reassure her, saying, "I would love for you to accompany me."

Her gorgeous smile beamed up at him and he felt as if he had just finished running a race. His heart felt like it was trying to break out of his chest and his breath caught in his throat. She was so beautiful. And she was going to spend the night with him ... in his wolf form.

That night, Remus and Hermione ran and played in the forest near the chateau. It had been so long since Remus had been able to run free on full moon nights. Hermione's wolfsbane potion had worked perfectly and he kept his mind the whole night as he chased after her. He hadn't felt so free since his Hogwarts days.

_'She's amazing. I wish we could be together. But what would she want with an old man like me? Nothing that's what.'_

Like Remus, Hermione had never felt so free. The moist forest floor beneath her paws and the scent of the trees, earth and wolf filling her nose and the sound of her companion closing in on her. All of it combined to give her a heady feeling of rightness.

_'I wish we could be like this forever. I wish we could spend the rest of our lives together, running through the forests on full moon nights, teaching the young ones to be animagi so they could join us. But why would he want me? I'm so much more inexperienced than he is. He couldn't possibly want to saddle himself with some teenager.'_

Their thoughts continued like that through the night, eerily echoing one another, and all too soon, they had exhausted their energy and laid down together near the pond. Within moments they were both asleep, curled around each other for warmth.

When Hermione woke up, the sun was streaming down on them and her arm had fallen asleep under something heavy. She blearily opened her eyes and found herself staring at a naked Remus Lupin! Closing her eyes quickly, she tried to still the frantic beating of her heart.

_'Okay, Hermione, now don't panic!' _She quickly glanced at him once more to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her then looked down at herself to make sure she was still clothed. _'Oh, God! He's still naked! He must have shredded his clothes when he transformed! I suppose that's one of the main differences between animagi and _

She opened her eyes slowly to make sure Remus was still sleeping. When he didn't react to her waving her hand in front of his face, she relaxed and realized that he wasn't going to wake up any time soon. The night had been tiring for both of them.

Sighing heavily and thanking her lucky stars that she woke up before he did, she began trying to wiggle her arm out from under him. Remus groaned a couple of times and she froze, afraid he was waking up. When he didn't, she kept at it until she was free.

Breathing heavily, she sat back on her heels and just looked at him. She couldn't resist the temptation to study his unclothed body in the early morning light. She took in his broad shoulders and his nearly hairless chest, criss crossed with thin white scars. His stomach was flat with rippling muscles under his tanned skin and her fingers itched to caress the smoothness she saw there.

Her eyes traveled lower to trim hips and finely chiseled thighs. She blushed when she realized that she had been staring at his 'package' for over a minute. She had never seen a fully grown man and she was for a moment captivated by the new sight. Still blushing furiously, she tore her eyes away from the sight of her former professor. It wasn't long before she was studying him again, though she made sure not to look below his waist.

Acting on impulse, she leaned over his sleeping form and reached for the errant lock of hair hanging in his peaceful face. Just as she began to brush it aside, blue eyes, the color of the sky, opened and locked with hers.

Hermione froze with her hand still touching his face and Remus didn't move. Time just seemed to slow down until it practically stood still. In the distance the sound of birds could be heard if the beating of their hearts weren't so loud in their ears.

After what seemed like an eternity to them, Hermione blushed for a second time in the last fifteen minutes and began to withdraw her hand. Remus, however, would have none of that. He captured her retreating hand in his and continued to stare deep into her eyes.

No words needed to be spoken and neither of them tried to put words to what they were feeling. With a single smoldering gaze, and a raised eyebrow to make sure she wanted what he wanted, he pulled her to him and covered her lips with his in a searing first kiss.

* * *

Author's Note:

Hey everyone! Spring Break is finally here!!! I have been working on this chapter for a while and there's lots happening. I'm trying to wrap up this part of the story up so we can get to the time travel part :D... yes, it is coming. I promise. I hope you enjoyed this extra long post. See you soon.

AF Marauder


	9. Secrets Revealed

Secrets Revealed

The day following the full moon found Remus and Hermione fully recovered from that long night and they resumed their normal routine. Days were once again filled with Boncour/Lupin family secrets and the evenings before dinner were reserved for their usual dueling bouts.

There was a tension between them that hadn't been there before the night they spent together. Remus refused to meet Hermione's eyes and quickly removed himself from the room as soon as his instructions were finished for the day. Other than lessons, duels and meals, they rarely spent any time together. Nights reading in front of the fire in the library ceased and Remus often shut himself into his room for hours at a time, not coming out except for dinner or duels.

When the days were nice, they decided, more often than not, to move their practice session outside, even taking their lunch in the form of a picnics. The outdoor sessions had the added bonus of letting Hermione gain valuable experience dueling in the less predictable atmosphere outdoors. Often, the Gardner or housekeeper would come to watch the duels, once or twice, Maurice would come and he gave Hermione pointers. When this happened, they put on a show of laughing and pretending everything was alright. Still, under all the exterior cheer and camaraderie, the tension remained.

Hermione didn't know why, but Remus seemed more on edge in her presence than he ever had before. Once or twice, she tried to give him a hand up when he found himself on the ground. Every time she did this, he would avert his eyes and scramble to his feet, mumbling something about 'not being that old yet.' She had a sneaking suspicion that the outside activities were more of an excuse to get them out of the too close confines of the indoors.

They avoided talking about the kiss they had shared, instead, Remus kept sending lost and guilty looks at Hermione, never initiating conversation but obviously bothered. Things continued in this manner for several days. Neither knew quite what to say to the other, Hermione couldn't understand why Remus wouldn't talk to her and the tension grew into intense frustration on her part.

Because of their love of learning, and the need to have Hermione completely trained and ready for anything the Death Eaters could throw at her, the tensions between them rarely interfered with their sessions. Unfortunately their free time was filled with awkward silences and cut off words. Time they had previously spent together was now spent in independent study.

Remus had found a spell in his mother's grimoires that would allow him to copy the books into uncursed journals. He gave the first of the new books, a copy of most of the charms from the grimoires, to Hermione, saying that he wanted her to have the opportunity to learn all of the spells that he didn't have time to learn and teach her.

Hermione's frustration grew to the point where she was nearly ready to wrestle her former professor to the ground and sit on him until he talked to her about what was bothering him. She felt that his copied grimoire was an effort on his part to allow him to spend less time in her presence.

Almost two weeks after the full moon, Hermione's frustration hit the boiling point. That evening, during their duel, she was just a little faster, a little more determined and a little more ruthless than her opponent. Remus couldn't get a single curse, hex or jinx through her shields, but while he couldn't touch her, Hermione's curses found a hole in Remus's shields every time. He could almost feel her frustration.

When the dueling session was over, and Hermione had disarmed Remus nearly a dozen times, he nearly bolted from the room before she could say anything to him. Retreating to his chambers to shower and change, he finally came to a conclusion.

_"I'll have to tell her." _he thought to himself. _"It's not fair to her! I just don't understand why I'm attracted to her! By all rights, I shouldn't feel anything for anyone!"_

Confusion clouded his thoughts. On the one hand, he could see himself loving Hermione, marrying her and raising a family with her. But on the other, it was quite impossible. Werewolves only mate once in their life, and if their mate should die or leave them, they would spend the rest of their lives alone.

Normally, this wouldn't pose much of a problem. Under normal circumstances, he would take Hermione as his mate in a heartbeat. However, Remus Lupin's life would never be considered as normal, and there was only one problem.

Remus Lupin already had a mate.

Hermione found Remus in the Library, surrounded by old photographs, staring into the flames dancing in the fireplace. Quietly, trying not to startle him, she sat down, turning her own attention to the flames.

After a few moments of silence, Remus spoke. "How much do you know about the mating habits of Werewolves?"

Momentarily shocked into silence at his seemingly forwardness, Hermione found herself unable to do more than stare at him.

Finally shaking the cobwebs from her mind, she managed to answer him in true Hermione fashion. Meaning, of course, that she gave him an almost encyclopedic account of Werewolf mating habits. She concluded, as most of the books she'd read on the subject did, with the heartbreaking fact that a Werewolf usually only has one mate in his/her life and if something were to happen to that mate, then the Werewolf would be alone for the rest of his/her life.

"Ah," said Remus, "and therin lies the crux of the situation." He turned sad eyes to the young woman he had come to care for. Slowly, he picked up one of the many photos haphazardly surrounding him. Silently, he handed it to his companion.

It was a wizarding photo, meaning, of course, that the subjects moved about in a looping scene. She immediately recognized the occupants and the place where the photo was taken. There were two boys in the picture and they were standing under one of the trees at Hogwarts. The smiling, happy boy on the right was none other than Remus Lupin. He wore his Hogwarts uniform, the Griffindor Lion proudly displayed on his left breast and his gold and crimson tie hanging loosely around his neck.

Next to him was a dashingly handsome boy with slightly shaggy black hair and piercing grey eyes. Hermione almost didn't recognize the young Sirius Black, but there were just enough similarities for her to realize who she was looking at. She was almost shocked to see just how badly Azkaban had ravaged him.

The boy she now gazed upon had not yet gained the haunted sunken-eyed look that the wizarding prison had given him. His skin was a healthy golden color as if he'd spent long hours in the summer sun and his eyes crinkled in the corners as a carefree grin graced his handsome face.

Sirius had his arm around Remus's shoulders and Remus had his arm around Sirius's waist. It would have looked perfectly innocent, except for the fact that every now and then the two boys would look at each other and break into identical, slightly goofy grins and focus their attention once more outward.

Again, silently, as if waiting for her condemnation, Remus handed her another photo. This one showed the same two carefree boys, but the scene had changed. Now they were in a bedroom decorated in the Griffindor color scheme. It looked as if they were in a dorm room in Griffindor tower. This one had captured them in a rather heated kiss. They seemed to be ignoring the camera, lost in their own little world.

In this picture, though, Hermione could see a dark purple-ish bruise on Sirius's neck. She knew immediately that it was Moony's mark. Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet Remus's. She felt her heart thudding in her chest, knowing as sure as she knew anything that she was right.

"Sirius was your mate."

Author's Note:

Hey all! I know, I know... it's been a while. Hopefully, I will be able to procrastinate on packing my house up by writing another chapter sometime this week. Just thought I'd let you know that this chapter had been updated to include parts of the original Chapter 9... or is it 8? I dunno... anyway, I didn't like how it flowed, so I added some that I found on my computer. Hope you like.

Review Please!

AF Marauder


	10. Life After Love

**Life After Love**

Remus and Hermione stayed up late that night talking and reminiscing about Sirius. Hermione hadn't known him as well as Harry had and found herself wishing she'd had the chance. The more Remus talked about him, the more she felt she knew him and the more she had to fight the tears when she remembered she'd never see him again.

Remus found himself telling her things he'd never told anyone else before. Things such as how he and Sirius had become friends, and how they had eventually become so much more. His eyes practically glowed when he told her about how blissfully happy he had been and they filled with pain and self recrimination when he told how he too had believed that Sirius had betrayed Lily and James.

His voice shook as he said, "I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for that."

She knew it wasn't her place to offer him comfort, but she knew he needed it. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, offering him her strength when his failed him. His eyes were moist when he pulled away, giving her a weak, heart wrenching smile.

"We weren't gay, you know."

Seeing her puzzled face, Remus felt he had to elaborate.

"Sirius and I. We weren't homosexual." He smiled and the upwards pull of his lips transformed his sadness into fond rememberance. "We both chased our fair share of girls. As a matter of fact, Sirius was considered the 'Sex God of Griffindor.' I think he must have dated at least one girl a week."

"You didn't mind?"

"Oh, I did at first. I was quite the jealous little wolf." His chuckle seemed to warm the room. "But then, at the end of our sixth year, it just didn't seem to matter anymore."

"Why?" Hermione leaned forward eagerly. "What happened to change your mind?"

"I almost lost him." Remus turned his gaze to the fire. He was quiet so long that Hermione almost thought he wasn't going to elaborate. Then, with a deep breath, he continued, "He pulled 'the prank' on Severus."

"Oh." she breathed. She had heard from Harry about how his father had saved Professor Snape's life.

"It took me months to forgive him for almost turning me into a killer. The only reason I did was because he did something that showed me how sorry he truly was. After that, our bond was stronger than ever."

"What did he do?"

"He offered to release me from our bond."

Hermione gasped. She had read that in order for a werewolf to be released from that type of bond, the werewolf itself must perform a ritual to close down the connection between them. If this ever happened, the werewolf would be free to find another mate, while the former mate would never again be able to find love.

Remus looked apraisingly at the young witch beside him. He knew she was certainly intelligent enough to know, but her reaction made him wonder how. "You act like you know what that entails."

Hermione blushed and nodded her head. "When I first found out you were a Werewolf, I had to make sure you weren't a threat to anyone." She blushed harder in shame. "I learned with Professors Quirrel and Lockhart that a kind exterior can often hide something no one suspects. I guess I just assumed that the reverse could be true as well."

"So, I read everything I could about Werewolves. I learned how people are infected, what they go through during transformations, how they form relationships and are intensely loyal to the people that gain their trust, and how if someone betrays their trust, they'll have an extremely difficult time earning it back." She paused and cleared her throat. "... and I learned how they mate and procreate."

A strange thought came to Remus. He smiled a bit as he asked, "And why would you look up Werewolf mating and procreation?"

Again, Hermione's cheeks flamed. "I um... " she cleared her throat and mumbled, "Ihadacrushonyouinthirdyear."

He turned his body to face her and used his index finger to tilt her chin up. He smiled a bit and said, "Could you repeat that for me?"

Hermione sighed. She knew it would come out sooner or later. She repeated herself slowly, "I said, that I had a crush on you in my third year. That's why I looked up mating and procreation of Werewolves."

Though slightly shocked, Remus quickly schooled his features into an understanding smile. He listened as she told him how the crush had grown out of respect and genuine liking into admiration when she found out how truly horrible it was to be a werewolf and how well he handled it. She confided that she felt protected and safe whenever he was around

Remus remained calm and collected while she told him what he hadn't known he wanted to hear. Inside, however, was an entirely different story. His heart was beating just a little faster than it was before and he had to admit, if only to himself, that he had feelings for Hermione. He had always respected her intelligence and quick thinking and lately he had begun to admire her more womanly attributes. He could admit to himself that his feelings closely mirrored hers.

A stab of guilt pierced his heart. He suddenly felt as if he was cheating on Sirius. Not physically, because that would have been okay, but emotionally. He knew, as a Werewolf that he could only ever love one person. That person was Sirius. He was Remus's mate. He silently berated himself for feeling anything for the bright, beautiful witch beside him.

Sadly, he knew, Werewolves only mated once.

Didn't they?

* * *

The weeks passed quickly for Remus and Hermione. They had reached an agreement that night. Neither would bring up their feelings for each other. There was, after all, no possible future for them. Things were the way they were and they couldn't be changed.

Life slowly returned to normal in the Chateau. They becan talking about what she wanted to do after graduation. She had thought of several possibilities, but none had really struck a chord in her. Nothing felt quite right.

Remus suggested that she write to Professor McGonagall to ask for some literature on Wizarding professions. He thought that if she could read about different professions, then she might be able to pick one.

Thinking this was sound logic, Hermione sat down to write:

_Dear Professor McGonagall,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. Professor Lupin and I are getting along quite nicely and have made wonderful progress with our training. I won't go into details in this letter, but I will tell you everything we've been doing when I see you next._

_Since this is to be my last year at Hogwarts, Professor Lupin and I were discussing what I would do after graduation. I've heard and read about several different Wizarding occupations and I can't seem to choose one._

_As Hogwarts Headmistress, I realize that you have access to pamphlets that give information about Wizarding professions. If at all possible, I would appreciate it if you could send me one of each. _

_On a more personal note, have you heard from my parents? I am almost out of my mind with worry about them. If you have any contact with them, would you please let them know that I am alright and that I love them?_

_I hope everything is well with you. I know you're getting ready for another year at Hogwarts and I am looking forward to getting back to school. Professor Lupin is wonderful, but I miss having other people around. It seems so quiet here. I look forward to your reply._

_Thank you again,_

_Hermione J. Granger_

It took about a week before she got her reply. She was sitting in the library, reading a book on Werewolves, trying to find a way to help Remus that hadn't been tried before. She heard footsteps on the parquet floor. Knowing somehow, that it wasn't Remus, she didn't think anything of it. Until...

"Madamoiselle?"

"Yes, Maruice?" Hermione looked up from the book she was reading, focusing her attention on the wizened old man. For a moment she was surprised that he was speaking to her. He normally left her be. Especially if she was reading or studying.

Offering her a golden platter, he said, "You have a letter."

Hermione thanked him and picked up the cream colored envelope. She turned it over and cracked open the Hogwarts crest. As soon as she took the papers out of the envelope, they expanded to their normal sizes, causing her to drop over half of them. Hermione's lap, chair and a good portion of the floor in front of where she was sitting was now covered in brightly colored parchments and shiny brochures. They had obviously been minimized so the poor post owl could carry all of them.

Naturally, Remus would chose that particular moment to decide he wanted to read a bit. Hermione could see that he was trying to hold back his laughter. She glared at him, saying, "Go ahead, yuck it up. I didin't know there were so many pamphlets sent to Hogwarts." Her eyes took on a slightly bewildered look. "There has to be at least several hundred here!"

Seeing her distress, Remus offered her an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, we'll be able to narrow it down rather quickly, I think."

Doubting that it would be that easy, but still hopeful that it wouldn't be too hard, she simply nodded her head.

"Here, lets gather all this stuff up and move it to the dining room." He bent to start putting the papers in a pile. "That way, we can spread out and be a little more comfortable."

Hermione agreed and they worked together to pick up the mess. She followed him into the dining room and they sat down next to each other.

"Okay," Remus said, clapping his hands together, "first thing's first. Minerva sent you all this, right?" Seeing her nod, he went on, saying, "That means she probably wrote you a letter to go with it."

She nodded again, "Yes, that does make sense. Should we look for that first?"

Answering in the affirmative, Remus started shuffling through papers. He found what appeared to be a list of the things she needed for next year. After showing her, he set it aside to keep it separate from everything else. After much digging, Hermione finally gave an excited shout.

"There it is!" Hermione set aside the stack she was holding and held up a piece of parchment covered with Professor McGonagall's angular script.

She read the letter alloud:

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_I was wondering when you would ask for career advice. I honestly had no idea what you would want to do, and I know that you could do anything you set your mind to, so I started saving brochures and pamphlets around your fourth year. Some of them probably won't help you very much, but with your intelligence, I never knew what you might like. _

_In this envelope, I have taken the liberty of including, along with the career information, your Hogwarts letter, your Head Girl badge, several general employment applications and an application for every Wizarding institute of higher learning that I am currently aware of, as well as several copies of your Hogwarts Transcripts and OWL results. _

_There is nothing like killing two birds with one hex, unless it's killing about five or six! _

_It would please me immensly if you would continue your education. As you know, there are several Master's programs such as Potions, Spells, Transfiguration, Charms, etc. Most of them require at least two years of additional classes, as well as an apprenticship with a Master or Mistress._

_Of all my students, I believe you have the most potential. _

_Congratulations on making Head Girl. You deserve it. I look forward to hearing your decision come Fall._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Minerval McGonagall_

_Headmistress _

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_P.s._

_Your parents are doing well. They send you their love and I have enclosed a letter from them as well!_

_M. McGonagall_

"She's right, you know."

Hermione looked up at him, a puzzled expression on her face. "About what?"

Remus started tidying the area, just so he'd have something to do with his hands. "She's right about you being able to do anything you put your mind to." He stopped fidgetting with the papers and his amber eyes met with her chocolaty orbs. "I know you've heard this before, nonetheless, it is as true now as it has ever been. You are, without a doubt, the smartest witch of your age."

Hermione blushed a deep crimson. She opened her mouth to reply, but Remus wasn't done yet.

"Not only that," he chuckled, "but you know how to use your intelligence! Others would simply try to skate by in life, but you work for every ounce of knowledge. That's one of the things that draws m-...uh... people to you."

Seeing Remus's blush and knowing where the conversation was headed, she decided to change the topic. She started rifling through the papers. "She said my parents sent me a letter too! Could you help me find it?"

Still embarrassed about almost having said something he shouldn't, Remus just nodded and started helping her look.

_'What's the matter with me?' _He silently berated himself. _'I think it might be time to look into this. Maybe I should have a talk with Mooney..."_

He found an envelope addressed to _Hermione _and silently handed it to her. She read it to herself first, then asked if he wanted to hear what her parents had to say.

"S-sure." He cleared his throat. "I mean, if you don't mind sharing."

She smiled and began reading:

_Dearest Hermione,_

_Your father and I are having a marvelous time with Aurors Tonks and Moody. She is so much fun! We've been shopping loads of times and she has such wonderful taste in clothes! Auror Moody seems a bit jumpy, and he's always going off about 'Constant Vigilance'. I'm really not sure what to make of him. But he seems nice enough._

_I've been told not to tell you where we are. That coming from Mr. Constant Vigilance himself. Let's just say that there's tons of Sun and the people here are very nice._

_I know it's not your birthday yet, but your father and I thought this might come in handy for the new school year. We won't be able to go shopping with you in Diagonalley, of course, so we decided to send you the money you'll need for robes and books and such. _

_You'll notice that it's quite a bit more than you would usually need. We know that you are now of age in the wizarding world and that you're only a couple of months away from it in our world as well. When your grandmother passed away, she left you a rather large sum of money. _

_We don't know what the exchange rates are at that bank in Diagonalley, but we do know that they can cash our checks there, so we just thought we'd give it all to you and you could maybe open an account. We trust you to use it wisely. You have always been very good with money._

_We love you, darling and hope you are doing well and listening to that nice man watching you. Be good and do as your told. We hope we'll be able to be together for Christmas._

_All our Love,_

_Mom and Dad_

Hermione had to sniff away a tear as she finished. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed them. Trying to distract herself, she pulled the nearly forgotten check out of the envelope... and promptly dropped it in shock!

There in her mother's small, cramped handwriting, was a check for one million pounds! Hermione had had no idea her grandmother was so well off! Of course, since her mother was an only child and she was an only child, it didn't have very far to spread, but still!

"Remus!" Hermione gasped in shock, "Look at this!" She handed him the check and watched his expression. She was a bit disapointed when all he did was raise an eyebrow.

"Well," he said, "I guess there's no help for it now."

She looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Looks like it's time to make a trip."

Becoming more puzzled by the second, she just stared at him.

"Lets see," Remus was talking to himself now, "tomorrow is a Tuesday, so we should be okay. The lines won't be too long either." He paused to look at her. "Hmm."

"Oh, for goodness sake!" She snapped. "What are you mumbling about?"

He seemed to decide all of a sudden and gave her a dazzling smile. "Just be up and ready tomorrow morning around 8 am. We're going to be taking a little trip."

Remus then stood up from the table and walked out of the room, leaving a very bewildered Hermione behind to pick up.

* * *

Author's Note

Hey everyone! I wanted to thank you all for the wonderful reviews! Here's a longer chapter as a reward! LOL! See? More reviews faster updates!

Next chapter, Hermione and Remus get to get out of the Chateau! BTW... this chapter was 2854 words long! The longest chapter yet! YAY!

Hope you like! Let me know!

Thanks for reading,  
AF Marauder


	11. Out and About

Out and About

At exactly 8 o'clock the next morning, Hermione met Remus at the bottom of the grand staircase. Her eyes were a little blood shot and her steps were slower than normal, but no less graceful. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, instead using the time to try to narrow down her career choices. She had gone through about a hundred of the pamphlets, setting aside the ones she had no interest in.

So far, her list of rejected professions included Professional Quidditch Player (though she had been practicing her flying), Dragon Tamer (as if anyone could actually tame a dragon), Seer (no explanation needed), Knight Bus Operator (she tried to avoid that particular joy whenever possible), and Magical Seamstress along with about 50 others. She found that Remus had been right, it would not be too hard to weed out the undesirable professions from the ones that looked interesting.

"Ready to go, Hermione?" Remus asked cheerfully, earning a half glare from her at his obvious well restedness.

"I suppose. You really won't tell me where we're going?"

"Not yet." He smiled. "You'll see soon enough!"

Hermione just sighed and followed him as he lead her to a part of the Chateau that she hadn't been in before. He lead her down a long hall toward a middle aged man wearing coveralls. He looked a bit like Maurice, but there were differences. His hands looked as if they had been very dirty and he'd just washed them but hadn't managed to get all of the dirt off, especially from under his short fingernails.

Hermione's observations were cut short when they got close enough for Remus to start the introductions.

"Hermione, this is Édouard, Maurice's oldest son and caretaker of my babies." Remus smiled at the man and shook his hand vigorously. "Is she ready, Édouard?"

"Oui, monsieur. She has been filled and bathed and she shines like a beautiful gem."

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Remus clapped his hands in apparent glee. "All the necessary papers are where they should be?"

Édouard nodded, "Oui, monsieur. Yours and the mademoiselle's."

Remus nodded and clapped the man on the shoulder, "Excellent. You have done well. Thank you, Édouard."

Édouard bowed to Remus and wished them well on their trip. Then, he turned and was gone.

Hermione didn't quite know what to make of this conversation, or the man she had just met. Shrugging her shoulders, she decided she'd just have to wait and see what all this talk about babies and papers. Remus opened the door that they were standing by and gestured for her to proceed him.

The smell of motor oil and gasoline assaulted her when she walked through the entrance. Fluorescent lights and concrete floors felt slightly out of place in this almost majestic Chateau. Big machines that she knew were used to lift cars so you could work on them stood silently to one side of, what she now realized was a garage. A very LARGE garage. And on the other side, stood seven different cars and as many motorcycles.

She knew none of them were new. They had an older look to them, but you couldn't tell how old they were by their condition. Each vehicle gleamed in the harsh fluorescent lighting and they all looked as if they had just come off an assembly line somewhere.

On the walls above the cars and motorcycles, there were names. Amelia, Fiona, Beatrice, Helen, Juliet, Lola, and Margaret were the cars and Cecil, Sierra, Mabel and Agatha were the motorcycles. Under each name was the make, model and year. Hermione's eyes nearly popped out of her skull as she read what each one was.

Amelia was a black 1931 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe. Fiona was, evidently a cherry red 1929 Mercedes-Benz 38/250 SSK. Beatrice was labeled as a 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa and was a golden yellow color. Helen, a 1930 Bentley Speed Six was dark green. Juliet was black, and looked a bit like the 'Bat mobile' to Hermione, she was labeled as a 1937 Alfa-Romeo 8C-2900. Lola a bright blue machine was labeled as a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette. Margaret, the last car in the Garage was labeled as a 1969 Chevy Camero and was a dark orange color. Each car shone with lovingly applied wax and there wasn't a speck of dirt anywhere on them.

Hermione didn't get to read what the Motor Cycles were, because Remus was already walking through one of the doors that lead outside. She followed him quickly and saw that he was heading toward another car. This one she actually recognized without having to be told what it was! This one was newer than the others had been and Hermione recognized it as a Ford Mustang.

Hermione hurried toward Remus and caught up with him just in time to hear him say "Portus" and the car glowed for a minute making the blue of its paint seem brighter. When the thought entered her mind to shield her eyes, the car stopped glowing and Remus turned to her with a bright smile.

"Hermione, I'd like you to meet Sally. Sally, this is Hermione."

At this point, Hermione thought Remus had gone quite mad, but she decided to humor him. "Hello, Sally." She smiled wryly and nearly burst out laughing, but managed to control her humor. _"Mustang Sally! I get it!"_ She thought to herself.

Remus gave her a calculating, almost worried look. Before she could ask, he turned to her and said, "You do know how to drive, don't you?"

"Yes." She smiled, realizing that he was worried she would hurt his 'baby'. "My parents started teaching me when I was about 15. We only drove in empty parking lots and such, but I was able to get my provisional license when I was 16 because both of my parents work and aren't around much. I was going to take my final test this summer, but... well, you know."

"Indeed I do. Alright!" He thought for a moment and asked, "Do you think you're ready to take your driving test today? I know you haven't practiced much lately. Do you want a refresher?"

Hermione was a little apprehensive about taking a test she hadn't known she was going to have to take without revising at least a little, but she knew she had memorized practically the whole booklet her parents had taught her out of.

"No. I think I'll be fine." She smiled a bit at Remus and said, "After all, I am a know it all."

He chuckled a bit and said, "Alright, lets go!" When Hermione started to go around to the passenger side, he corrected her saying, "You might as well get used to the car first. Why don't you drive?"

"Really?" The witch almost jumped up and down in excitement. "Oh, wow! I've always wanted to drive a Mustang!"

Remus laughed a bit and opened her door for her. "Just be careful, she's my newest baby." He got in on the passenger side and opened the glove box to reveal a three envelopes with documents in them. The first had the registration and insurance information in it. The second had Remus's personal documents such as his driver's license, passport, birth certificate and several credit cards, a cheque book and a stack of 20 pound notes. The last envelope had Hermione's documents in it. Her birth certificate, passport and provisional driver's license.

When she asked about his birth certificate, drivers license and passport, he replied, "A couple of generations ago, when my great, grandfather Lupin was born, his father worked closely with Muggles. He decided that it would be an advantage if our family could hide in the Muggle world if we needed to. Actually, several Wizarding families had that idea, including the Potters and the Boncours. Around that time they came out with birth certificates and everyone in my family now has a muggle birth certificate. Some even have driver's licenses and passports, though I think we are in the minority."

Remus had her start the car and, after she adjusted the mirrors and seat to suit her, he had her drive down the long driveway and stop just before they reached the edge of the fidelius charm.

"I turned Sally into a portkey that will take us about 20 minutes outside of London. That way no Muggles should see us. But just to be sure, why don't you put a disillusionment charm on us."

Hermione agreed and after performing the charm, Remus activated the portkey and they were off!

They appeared on a lonely stretch of two-lane highway. Hermione could just make out little white spots that were sheep on the rolling green hills on either side of the road. She looked at Remus and he just pointed straight ahead, so she started driving.

By this point, Remus had become accustomed to her drive for perfection, but even though he knew that she probably hadn't driven since last summer, he was mildly surprised by how effortless she made it seem. She hadn't yet gotten her driver's license, but she seemed as if she'd been driving for years.

Eventually, he felt so comfortable with her skills that he leaned back in his seat and just relaxed. He had completely zoned out so Hermione's question caught him off guard and he had to ask her to repeat herself.

"I asked if you would mind me turning on the radio?" She knew he was feeling relaxed and was elated that he thought she was a good enough driver to allow himself to relax while she drove his baby.

"Oh! I suppose that would be alright. Music is, after all, a magic greater than anything we do."

Hermione gave him a sad sort of smile, remembering as, no doubt, he was that it was Dumbledor who said that. After a moment, she reached over to the radio and tuned it to one of her favorite stations. 'Good Vibrations' by the Beach Boys was playing and Hermione started to sing along.

Remus gave her a funny look and when she looked over at him, the look was still on his face. She just sent him a huge smile and went right back to singing along with the radio. When the song was over, she looked over at Remus again and laughed out loud at the dumbfounded expression on his face.

"What?"

"I didn't know you could sing!"

He sounded so shocked that Hermione felt laughter bubble up once more and let it flow from between her lips. "You sound almost offended! Am I truly that bad?"

Horrified at the prospect of her thinking he didn't like her singing, he hurried to reassure her. "NO! That's not what I meant! I've just never heard you sing before and ..." Remus trailed off as he realized that she was still chuckling softly. "Oh, you. You know you have a beautiful voice!"

"Yes," she said, "but it's always nice to hear it from someone other than my parents." Still grinning, she sighed with pleasure as 'Hotel California' started to play.

"This is my favorite song." She started to sway to the music. "I just love the accompaniment. It's so haunting."

Remus smiled and when the singer began to sing, he sang along, earning a beaming smile from Hermione. When the parts with harmony came, he was pleasantly surprised when she sang yet another harmony, making the song even more complex than it was already!

They continued like that through Patsy Cline's 'Crazy', 'Daydream Believer' by the Monkeys and 'Return to Sender' by Elvis Presley, where Remus did a fair Elvis impersonation that had Hermione in stitches. They found a fast food restaurant and stopped for a bite. After breakfast, they continued as they had been, singing and laughing and just enjoying each other's company.

By the time '455 Rocket' by Kathy Mattea was over, they were at London's city limits and traffic was becoming more congested by the minute. Hermione turned off the radio and sent an apologetic look toward Remus saying, "Sorry, I need to concentrate on driving for now. I know my driving skills are fine, but the guy speeding up on us might not be as much of a know-it-all as I am."

Remus was impressed with her defensive driving and told her so, adding, "I'm glad you're taking good care of my Sally."

Eventually, they came to the building they were looking for. It was a small white cement building with the words Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency over the front doors. The parking lot was fairly empty and Hermione passed several empty parking spaces before she parked about 50 feet from the other cars.

At Remus's raised eyebrow, she explained, saying a bit defensively, "I don't want anyone to accidentally hit Sally or ding her doors!"

Remus chuckled and nodded his appreciation as he gathered the envelopes from the glove box. After she had locked the doors, he offered her his arm and escorted her into the austere looking government building.

Though there weren't many cars in the parking lot, they still ended up waiting nearly two hours! When she took her test, she found out why. There was only 3 or 4 people working there and each of their desks were piled high with papers and their in boxes were full!

She took the written portion, breezing through it so fast that when she tried to hand it in the first time, the stern-looking lady behind the desk, looked at her with a piercing stare and asked if she was absolutely sure that she had answered all the questions.

"Yes, ma'am." She said. "I answered all of them and I'm fairly sure they're correct."

"Well," the woman huffed, "we'll just see about that."

She took out the grading key and a red pen. She went down the answer sheet and, frowning, did it again. Eyes as wide as saucers, she checked it a third time. Muttering to herself about easier tests than when she took it, she marked Hermione's paper as 100 pass.

"I don't know how you did it, Miss, but you answered each question correctly in a quarter of the time it usually takes people your age to take this test." She glared at Hermione once more as if she could figure out how she'd done it and told her to go wait in the waiting room and she'd be called for the practical part of the test.

So, Hermione went to sit with Remus again and waited for yet another hour before she was called and they headed outside to do the driving portion. On their way cowards Sally, the man giving the test lit up a cigarette. As he smoked like a chimney, he asked her to read a license plate that was maybe 20 meters away.

When they reached Sally, the man was still smoking his cigarette. When Hermione just stood by her door, he said, "Come on, kid. I don't 'ave all day."

Hermione knew that Remus wouldn't want the man to smoke in his baby so she said, as respectfully as she could, "Sir, Sally is a non-smoker. When you're finished, we can begin."

He glared at Hermione and tried the door. After another minute or so of glaring, he finally put out the odious cigarette. "Fine." The tester groused. "Happy now?"

She nodded and unlocked the doors, letting him get in the passenger seat and getting in, putting on her seatbelt and adjusting her mirrors as she'd been taught. She looked over at her passenger to see if he was belted in and noticed that he wasn't. She waited a moment until she was sure he wasn't going to put it on.

"When you're ready?"

"You can start. Just back out, and turn onto the main road."

She looked at him pointedly. When he didn't respond, she asked, "Aren't you going to wear your safety belt?"

Grumbling slightly that no, he wasn't, the tester wrote something on his clipboard. Knowing that she was probably pushing her luck, she nevertheless insisted that he do so before she would go. She got yet another glare for her trouble, but he fastened his belt anyway.

Finally, she could comfortably start her test. He had her demonstrate merging onto a motorway and turning left, and right. He had her parallel park, and he had her park in a parking spot. He thoroughly put her through her paces. After nearly 30 minutes of testing, he had her pull back into her original parking space, turn off the engine and get out of the car.

"Young lady," he said, "you are, without a doubt, the bossiest and most demanding person I have ever tested." He smiled wryly and handed her the page that had her results on it. "As a result of your insisting that I first put out my cigarette before getting in your car, ensuring that your vision wasn't impaired and insisting that I put on my safety belt, ensuring that all in your car were sufficiently protected in the event of an accident, I am very happy to say that you have just received the very first set of full marks that I've ever given. Congratulations."

Hermione beamed at the man she had thought surly only moments before. "Thank you, Sir."

The man began walking back to the building. "If you'd care to wait about ten more minutes, I'll personally go make your license right now."

"Thank you again. I'd appreciate it very much." Hermione was all smiles as she walked into the waiting room and sat next to Remus once again. She told him what had happened and he congratulated her.

"By the way," Remus said, giving her a hug, "thanks for not letting him smoke in Sally. She truly is a non-smoker."

They both chuckled a bit more and they waited. About ten minutes later, Hermione's tester and the stern lady that had given her the written portion came out to the waiting area, giving Hermione her new license and a certificate stating that she had received perfect scores on the driving test. They both congratulated her one more time and Remus and Hermione were finally free of the DVLA.

"Next stop, The Leaky Cauldron." Remus smiled cheerfully at her, saying, "I think this deserves a celebration lunch!"

Hermione smiled back and handed him the keys. "I won't argue! Breakfast has long since worn thin and I do feel like celebrating!"

* * *

Authors Note:

I know, this chapter doesn't seem done and it's not. But I'm afraid that if it gets any longer, it will be like the Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man. (Meaning that it will grow into a life of its own.) I will be putting this chapter up in two installments. Next part of the chapter: Diagon Alley!!!

Oh, did anyone notice that Mrs.Granger misspelled Diagon Alley? She spelled it Diagonally. LOL! No one seemed to catch the apparent misspelling. Oh, well. More tomorrow or the next day! I'm on a bit of a roll.

Thanks for sticking with me!

AF Marauder


	12. Test Number Two

**Test Number Two**

Remus drove through the streets of London, toward their destination. Although Hermione tried to remember each turn and every street, she soon gave it up as a bad job. She'd never remember how to get to the Leaky Cauldron this way. She said as much to Remus and he just laughed.

Still chuckling slightly, he said, "Hermione, you do realize that you'll probably never have to actually drive to the Leaky Cauldron?"

She huffed indignantly and just muttered, "But I'd still like to know how."

Eventually, Remus pulled into a parking lot near several department stores and restaurants. He parked away from most of the other cars and turned off the engine. He took the 20 pound notes out of his envelope and put them in his pocket and got out of the car.

Hermione was gathering her hand bag and was a little surprised when she looked up to open her car door and found that Remus had already done so! He stood there with a smile on his face as he offered his hand to help her out of the car. She smiled back and accepted his hand.

She had expected him to let go of her hand when she gained her feet, but he surprised her yet again and instead, he gently placed her hand in the crook of his arm. He shut her door and pulled out his wand. Quickly, he looked around to make sure there were no muggles around and did a quick Muggle Repelling charm on Sally.

He grinned lopsidedly at Hermione and confided, "It's better than any anti-theft device they've designed yet!"

Hermione's heart beat a little faster when he grinned that way and she could practically feel the heat of him through their clothes. Silently she berated herself, thinking, _'Oh, Merlin! I am such a wreck!'_

_But he's so handsome..._

_Yes, and I'm practically drooling over him... _

_Come on! It's not like you're trying to snog him..._

_Girl, get it together. He's already found his mate and it's not you..._

_But all the books say they USUALLY only have one mate..._

_He doesn't feel anything for you..._

_But how do you KNOW?!_

_Just stop it, already and act like you're having a good time! _

_Fine._

Her internal debate lasted as long as it took them to reach the main street's sidewalk. Just as Remus was starting to think there was something wrong, she snapped herself out of it and gave him a brilliant smile. She decided she would just enjoy what time they did have together and she wouldn't worry about what they couldn't have.

She and Remus chatted about nothing in particular as he lead her to a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The sign above the door only read_ Restaurante, _but just by that, Hermione knew that it would probably be Italian. Remus held the door open for her and she blushed as she walked past him and into the dimly lit restaurant.

She wasn't disappointed as the aromatic smells of garlic and basil assaulted her. She breathed deeply and smiled back at Remus as he followed her inside.

He offered his arm once again and said, "I hope Italian is alright."

Seeing her nod, he grinned and was about to say something else when he was cut off by a loud, "REMUS LUPIN! Is that you?!" The owner of the voice came into view and Hermione was immediately reminded of Mrs. Weasley. The rather rotund woman enveloped Remus in a hug that looked almost painful. "It IS you! I can't believe it!"

Just slightly out of breath, he returned her greeting, saying, "Hello, Rosa. How've you been?"

Just as abruptly as she had swooped down on him, she suddenly turned stern. She shook her finger at him and said in a heavy Italian accent, "Don't you 'Hello, Rosa' me! Where have you been? I haven't seen you in years and all of a sudden, here you are!"

Remus had the grace to look a bit ashamed. "I'm sorry, Rosa, a lot happened since I've last been here."

Rosa's face broke into a smile and she ushered them to a table. "Well, never mind, you're here now and you can tell me about it while you eat!"

Chuckling, he introduced Hermione to the flamboyant woman. "Rosa, I'd like you to meet Hermione Granger. She is a former student of mine and my charge until she returns to Hogwarts."

Hermione's head snapped toward Remus when he said 'Hogwarts'.

At first, he didn't know why she had such a look of horror on her face, then he realized it was because Hermione assumed, correctly, that Rosa was a muggle. He had to fight to hold back the laughter that threatened to burst from him as he watched her slowly regain her composure and smile at Rosa. She made all the appropriate gestures and said all the right things, but Remus knew she was going to lay into him if he didn't explain things.

Looking around the restaurant, he noticed that they were the only patrons there. Evidently it was too late for the lunch crowd and to early for the dinner one. "Rosa," he said, "would you care to join us for lunch?"

Rosa looked a bit uncomfortable. "Reemy, I wouldn't want to impose on your date."

Hermione blushed scarlet and rushed to assure her, "It would be no imposition, Rosa, we're not on a date."

Rosa gave Remus a knowing smile and asked, "What can I get you two? When I bring it out, we can sit and chat for a while."

They both ordered a side salad with house dressing. Rosa explained to Hermione that it was like a cross between an Italian dressing and a vinaigrette. They also ordered lasagna and garlic bread. Rosa went to put it in the oven and get their salads and Hermione turned to Remus with her question burning in her eyes.

"I know you're wondering why I would mention Hogwarts to a muggle." He smiled when she nodded her head vigorously. "This was a Marauder hangout when we came to Muggle London." He looked down at his napkin and said quietly, "I haven't been here since Lilly and James..."

Hermione could hear the hurt in his voice and she reached across the table, offering him comfort with her hand on his. She let him know that he didn't need to finish his sentence. That she understood.

Rosa came back just as Remus was gaining control of his emotions and as she was refilling their drinks, she asked, "Now tell me everything that has happened since I saw you last. I never knew what happened to you boys. I at least expected Sirius to stop by every now and then."

Remus told her that James and Lilly had gotten married and had a son. Rosa was delighted and asked, laughingly, if he had his father's unruly hair. Remus said that yes, he did and when Hermione nodded emphatically, he explained that Hermione was one of Harry's best friends.

Rosa's happy mood wasn't to last much longer. Remus told her that soon after Harry was born, Lilly and James had to go into hiding because they were being targeted by the Death Eaters. Rosa gasped when he told her that Peter had betrayed them and she had to brush tears from her eyes as he told about how James and Lilly had fallen, but Harry had lived. She looked positively livid when he told her how Sirius had been blamed.

"Poor Sirius." she said when Remus told her how he'd been imprisoned for twelve years without a trial.

"But he finally broke out!" Remus told her about Harry's third year and how he finally learned the truth. The emotions were written on Rosa's face when he told her about what happened in the Department of Mysteries. Even Hermione had to wipe her eyes as she relived that horrible day. Finally, Rosa had to excuse herself before she completely broke down.

Before she went, Remus said, "I'm sorry I haven't been around these last few years." He looked down at his plate and continued quietly, saying, "This place holds so many memories for me."

Rosa squeezed his shoulder before she walked away, still drying her eyes.

Hermione and Remus finished their meal in silence and when they left, Rosa came out once more and hugged Remus, though not as jovially as before. There seemed to be more lines on her face and she seemed to have aged twelve years in the short time since they'd come in.

"You come back now, both of you." She smiled warmly at Hermione.

They both smiled at her and Promised that they would be back.

When Remus and Hermione got to the Telephone Booth that was the street entrance to the Ministry of Magic, their moods had improved considerably and they were once again joking and laughing as they both got into the booth.

It wasn't as tight a squeeze as it had been over a year ago, but they both felt as if they were too close for comfort. Hermione watched as Remus entered the correct number combination. The same voice from before told them to state their names and their business with the Ministry of Magic.

"Hermione Granger and Remus Lupin. We're here so Hermione can take her apparation test." Remus spoke clearly into the receiver. When he was done, two badges appeared in the coin return slot. Each had their names on it and Hermione's designated her as 'Apparation License Testee', while Remus's labeled him as 'Escort of Hermione Granger'. They attached the tags to the front of their shirts as the Telephone Booth sunk below the streets of London.

It was much as Hermione remembered it. The statues in the fountain had either been replaced or repaired magically because they looked like they did when the rescue group had first seen it. There were people rushing everywhere this time, and every now and then, one of the fire places that lined the room would flare up with green flames and a witch or wizard would step out, dust themselves off and continue on their way.

Hermione and Remus handed over their wands to the bored looking Ministry Official at the Wand Check desk. He gave Remus a slip of paper and told him that when they were ready to leave, to just show him or whoever was at the desk his slip and his wand would be returned to him. Hermione was allowed to keep her wand, as she would need it for her test.

They made their way to the lifts at one end of the atrium and, noticing a map of the building, they looked for The Department for Magical Transportation. Seeing that it was on the fourth floor, they entered the lift and waited for their floor to be called. It wasn't a long ride, but it could have been shorter. They stopped at every floor either to let people or paper airplanes on or off.

Finally, they reached their destination. For the second time that day, Hermione took a number and was told to wait in the waiting area for the next available test giver. Luckily, it was a Tuesday and Hermione didn't have to wait as long as she might have. After only thirty or so minutes of waiting, a middle aged witch with streaks of silver streaked through her jet black hair called Hermione to take her test. Remus wished her luck and she was taken to the testing area.

In contrast to her earlier driver's test, this was a less harrowing experience. There was no written test, only a few questions she had to answer verbally. Then they jumped right to the practical examination. The lady had Hermione apparate about five feet to one side. Then she told her to take her on a side-along apparation to the other side of the room. The whole test only took about twenty minutes.

When the tester gave her a piece of paper and a small card, saying, "Congratulations, Dear", she just looked at her blankly for a minute.

She laughed in disbelief. "That's it? That's all there is to it?"

"Yes, of course." The dark haired lady looked at Hermione quizzically. "What did you expect, Dear? A written exam and a more rigorous practical?"

Hermione could see that the woman was holding in her mirth. "Well, you see," she said, "I took my driver's test this morning."

"Ah." She said, knowingly. "Yes, yes. The Muggles are a bit more cautious than we are." She paused, as if thinking for a minute. "But then again, automobile technology is still fairly new. Witches and Wizards have been apparating for at least one thousand years."

Hermione thanked her and went back to Remus, showing him her new apparation license and the certificate that went with it.

"I knew you could do it!" He said, grinning widely. "Now we can get on with the rest of the day! No more sitting in uncomfortable chairs for me!"

Hermione laughed at his antics as they made their way back to the atrium to retrieve Remus's wand. He suggested that they apparate to Diagon Alley's apparation point and in a blink, they were gone.

* * *

Authors Note:

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone that put me on their story watch lists or checked back periodically to see if I'd updated. It means a lot to me that you were willing to keep an eye out on a story that had seemingly been abandoned. So thank you for your faith in me and for actually wanting to read this story. This story hasn't been abandoned in any way shape or form.

Second, since the last book came out (yes I got it, yes I waited in line, and yes I called in sick the next day to read it! It only took me 12 hours though.) this story is so AU its not even funny! Evidently, my characters are going to be out of character too. Sigh Oh, well. No, I'm not going to tell you why its AU... that would just spoil it for everyone. If you haven't read DH yet, go do it before you read anymore fanfic. It's a fast read, I promise.

For those of you who did read it, can anyone tell me what Hermione's middle name is? If you caught that too, give yourself a box of Every Flavor Beans... or if you don't like ear wax, dirt or pepper flavored jelly beans, you can have a chocolate frog... they're safer anyway.

Can you believe this is the second chapter this week!!! Not to mention that tweaking of Secrets Revealed (formerly The Way That It Was). I know I said I would finish the last chapter in this one... and I know it still doesn't seem finished... Next time, Hermione and Remus go shopping in Diagon Alley. See?! It's the Stay Puffed Effect! Everybody RUN!

OR

Read and Review!

Thanks again,

AF Marauder


	13. A few Surprises

Author's note:

Author's note:

Once again, I find myself asking for forgiveness. Of course, I'm sure I don't deserve it, but I hope you can forgive me anyway. I have found, to my ever lasting chagrin, that I have misplaced my muse. After the last book, it seemed kind of ... well, pointless! Then I read a lot of fanfic and found my new favorite type! I have fallen in love with the Re-do stories. Especially the ones where Harry's mind is sent back to his younger body! So expect that to be the next one. Tee-hee.

Okay. On with the show. As a peace offering, I give you my longest chapter yet! Huzzah! Over Pages! I'll finish this story if it kills me… and eventually, we'll go shopping (though it doesn't look like it will happen this time)!

Oh, by the way… objects in mirrors are closer than they appear. Also, I do not own Harry Potter… but I wouldn't mind owning Remus. Or maybe Sirius! I do so love doggies!

* * *

**Chapter 13 – A Few Surprises**

Remus and Hemione made their way back to the wand weighing station to retrieve Remus's wand. Because Hermione had a price on her head, and because there would, no doubt, be more Death Eaters in the Alley than at the Ministry or in Muggle London, she decided that a disguise was in order. She pulled Remus into a secluded alcove so that no one would notice the change in her appearance.

A few simple 'beauty' charms later and Hermione looked completely different. Instead of bushy ginger-colored hair, she now had sleek, waist length black curls which she promptly pulled back into a high pony-tail with a hair tie she found in the pocket of her jeans. The next charm changed her eye color from her original chocolate brown to a clear blue the color of a cloudless summer sky. A quick makeup charm to accent her eyes and smooth her complexion and she was ready.

If Remus hadn't watched her do the charms, he would have never recognized her. As it was, he felt a pang in the vicinity of his chest and a slight shiver of recognition when she changed her eyes. Naturally, he only acknowledged it enough to wonder if he was coming down with something before dismissing the feeling as nothing more than indigestion.

Belatedly thinking that he might be recognized as well, he decided to change his appearance too. A simple hair charm later and he had dark brown hair instead of his normal sandy color. That and a glamour to make his clothing look less ragged (but no less comfortable) and he too was ready to face the Alley.

"Alright, here's what we'll do," He looked around the Ministry's Atrium to make sure no one was watching them. "Since we need to head to Gringotts first, we'll use the apparation point just outside."

Hermione, also glancing around the Atrium nodded quickly and was gone with a small _crack_! Remus quickly followed her, reappearing right next to her next to Gringotts. As soon as he regained his equilibrium, Remus offered his arm once again to Hermione and escorted her into the Wizard's Bank.

The lines here were a bit longer than they had been anywhere else, but eventually, the pair stood before a cross looking Goblin.

"Yes?"

A little taken aback by the Goblin's apparent lack of civility, Hermione said, "I want to open an account."

"Name?"

"Um... Hermione Granger."

The Goblin opened his massive ledger and started flipping through the pages. Abruptly, his eyes widened and he stuttered, "M-miss G-granger! M-my ap-pologies! I d-didn't real-lize!" The formerly surly Goblin shook himself out of his shock and hopped down from his chair after putting a closed sign on his desk, motioning to them that they should follow him.

This shocked both Remus and Hermione because there were still about five people in line behind them. After looking to Remus and seeing him nod his head in encouragingly, she turned to follow the Goblin with Remus hot on her heels.

They were lead to a richly appointed office and were shocked once again when the, now bowing and scraping, Goblin wrung his hands nervously and said, "An account manager should be with you momentarily. I'm terribly sorry about the wait. Can I get anything for you while you wait? Tea, perhaps? Lunch? Anything at all."

Hermione, not knowing why this Goblin was suddenly acting like an over-eager house elf, simply shook her head, saying, "No, thank you. We're fine."

The Goblin bowed his way out of the office, leaving two very confused people to wait for the Manager.

They looked around the well appointed office, taking in the large windows surrounded by yards of heavy, scarlet colored, velvet drapes, mahogany paneling and bookshelves filled with leather bound books written in Gobbledygook. Hermione couldn't help but admire the thick oriental rug that practically begged her to walk barefoot on it.

In the middle of the office stood a large mahogany desk with an expensive looking quill set and a desk blotter adorning it. Behind the desk, a comfortable looking leather office chair waited for its occupant and before it, two comfortable leather chairs currently occupied by Hermione and Remus.

After a moment the silence was hesitantly broken by Hermione. "Um... was it just me, or was he a bit..." she trailed off, not knowing exactly how to put it.

"Eager?" Remus supplied, smiling. "Yes, he was rather. If I didn't know you were Muggle-born, I would accuse you of being from a very old Pure-blood family!" He laughed at the confused look on her face. "This is the way they normally treat me when I come in. Not that that's very often, mind."

No sooner had Remus finished his sentence, than a well dressed Goblin opened the double mahogany doors, apologizing profusely.

"I'm terribly sorry for keeping you waiting, Miss Granger! I'm afraid I was with another client. I hope you will forgive my tardiness."

"It's alright, really," she rushed to assure him. "You didn't know we would be here today. I hadn't realized that opening an account would cause you so much trouble."

It was the Goblin's turn to look confused, but he just shook it off and said, "My name is Metallaugh. I am your account manager."

Remus spoke for the first time since Metallaugh arrived. "Honorable Metallaugh, Hermione does not have an account yet. That is why we are here."

"Oh, but she does, Mr. Lupin!" The Manager looked back and forth between the two for a moment before saying, "You mean, you didn't know?"

"Er... Know what?" Hermione said.

Metallaugh turned shrewd eyes towards her. "Strange." He rubbed his chin for a moment before seeming to come to a decision. "Well, since you don't know, we'll have to verify some things before I can discuss it with you freely." He pulled several things out of one of the desk drawers, including, a rather wicked looking dagger, a roll of parchment and a black box.

"First, I will need a bit of your blood." He handed the dagger to her and set the parchment in front of her. "Once you cut your hand, allow at least five drops of blood to fall onto the parchment. It is enchanted to reveal your full lineage."

Hermione steeled her nerves as best she could, then, before she could lose her courage, she sliced the palm of her hand. She hissed through her teeth when the pain caught up with her. Thinking she may have cut too deep, because her blood seemed to flow quite quickly, she let the required drops fall to the parchment and reached for her wand.

Before she could get to it, though, Remus took her hand in his.

"Allow me."

He held her hand palm up with one hand and covered her wound with the other. A blue glow seemed to come from his hand and after a moment, he released her hand, as good as new.

Hermione smiled at him, ignoring the slight tingling left from the healing charm, and turned her attention to the parchment. The blood that had been dripped onto the parchment spread out into lines like the Marauder's map. Instead of a map, however, when all was said and done, there was Hermione's complete family tree.

"Excellent." said Metallaugh. "Now, Miss Granger, this is you." He pointed to her name at the very bottom of the parchment. "Obviously, you are the last of your line. For some reason, your family has always had one child per generation." He smiled a bit. "It does make our job easier, but it makes for a rather small family."

Seeing her nod, he continued, "If we follow your line, you will see some markings by certain names. The x's mean that the individual was a Squib. The most recent Squib in your family was your great, great, great, great Grandmother."

Hermione looked and, sure enough, there was an x next to Constance Sheppard. She looked up at Metallaugh and asked, "What do the double x's mean?"

"Ah, yes. Well, as you know, most Squibs live out their lives as Muggles, simply because it is easier for them to live in a world where they are not expected to be able to use magic. As a result, Squibs tend to marry Muggles." He thought for a moment. "Well, it could also be that most Witches and Wizards don't like marrying Squibs. Afraid their children would be non magical as well, I suppose. At any rate, double x's indicate Muggles." He shrugged.

"So, Grandmother Constance married a Muggle?"

The Goblin studied the parchment for a moment. "Yes, it would seem as if that were the case." He pointed to the names above Constance Sheppard. "Now, if you will notice, her parents were both magical and, in that time, the Sheppard family was exceptionally prominent in society." He peered at Hermione over his glasses. "That is to say, they were quite well off."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "This is all very interesting, Master Metallaugh, and I am glad to know my family's history, but what does it have to do with me?"

Before Metallaugh could answer, Remus, having studied the family tree, gave the Goblin a shrewd look. "Your telling us that Hermione is the sole heiress of the Sheppard family, aren't you?"

"What? But surely there's nothing left? I mean, that was over two hundred years ago! Surely..."

Metallaugh again peered over his glasses at her. "I see you don't know much about the Goblin laws of inheritance." He rolled up the parchment and set it aside.

"When a magical family's heir is a Squib, when the parents die, instead of the heir inheriting the estate, it is, instead held in trust until such a time as the family produces a magical heir. In this instance, you. Most families provide a small trust fund to keep them from being destitute, but it normally isn't very much. Now that you have reached your majority, you are free to claim your rightful inheritance."

Hermione's feelings of right and wrong began to rear their ugly heads. Remus could see from the look in her eyes that she was gearing up for one of her infamous tirades. He realized that he would have to step in before she alienated the Goblins as she had the House Elves.

"Master Metallaugh, perhaps you could tell us the reasoning behind the inheritance laws."

"Of course, Mister Lupin." Metallaugh had obviously read Hermione's indignant posture as well. "As you are, no doubt, aware, we Goblins are quite fierce about protecting the riches entrusted to us. Each family, no matter how prestigious, will eventually produce a Squib. It is inevitable." He leaned forward and lowered his voice a bit, "Especially with all the Pure-blood inbreeding."

Hermione privately agreed with his assessment.

"Now," continued Metallaugh, "many Pure-blood families were in the habit of 'taking care' of their Squib progeny, if you take my meaning, so that they could not inherit their noble estate. At the time, the Goblin Nation was not sure if this was for economic reasons or if they just did it out of spite." He cleared his throat and seemed to project his feelings to them that it was the latter.

"We eventually noticed that some of the old families were dying out because they refused to suffer a Squib child to live. We decided that we should act to protect our future investors and therefore our own investments. After all, when a family completely dies out, the Ministry takes over their vaults and removes everything to high security vaults beneath the Ministry of Magic."

He sneered, "Seems they do not trust _Goblins_ with their ill gotten gains."

Hermione again felt a stab of annoyance at the Ministry. Someday, she felt that they would end up shooting themselves in the foot, so to speak.

"I can understand how that would make things difficult for you, but what does that have to do with your protecting the 'riches entrusted to you'?"

"Ah! Well, you see, as I said, if the family dies out, the Ministry will remove their assets, but if there is still a living relative, they have no choice but to leave it in our care." Seeing the confusion still evident in her expression, he sighed.

"If we were to allow non-magical people, Squibs in this case, to inherit, the Pure-bloods against such a thing would continue to remove their non-magical progeny. However, if we were to impose a 'law' that said they could **not** inherit and that their estate would be held in trust until the next magical descendant appears..." he trailed off, seeing the beginnings of comprehension light her features.

"Then the Pure-bloods would stop killing off their children, making it possible for you to continue to hold on to their assets, thereby making it harder for the Ministry to seize them!" Hermione beamed. "So really, you are helping the magical community while still helping yourselves... Brilliant."

"Thank you. Our vault holders are, of course, given the opportunity to release their vaults to their non-magical relations. Though few actually take that opportunity."

"So really, it's not a **Law** per-say... more of a guide line to keep the stupidity of Wizards from ruining the economy."

"Exactly, Miss Granger. Or should I say, Lady Stoneleigh?"

Remus gave a sharp gasp. "Stoneleigh?" He turned shocked eyes towards his companion. "She's the Heiress of Stoneleigh?!"

"Remus? What's wrong?" When she got no response from the normally resilient Werewolf, Hermione looked worriedly at Metallaugh. "I don't understand. What's Stoneleigh?" Seeing that Remus was having trouble wrapping his mind around the revelation of her Heritage, she turned to Metallaugh for answers.

"Nothing is wrong with it, My Lady. The Stoneleigh line has a proud and illustrious heritage. As a matter of fact..." He pulled her family tree back out of the black box and unrolled it. He ran his long gnarled finger down the page until he found what he was looking for.

"Ah! Here it is." He turned the page around, pointing at one of her ancestors near the top of the page. "You, my dear, are a direct descendant of Roland Ravenclaw, first Lord of Stoneleigh." Seeing her confusion, he clarified. "Roland was Rowena Ravenclaw's twin brother. Because he was male, and at the time, it was a patriarchal society, he inherited most of his family's holdings.

"You don't hear much about him, I believe there are only a couple of history books that mention him, mostly in passing, but I believe he was the original Ward Caster for Hogwarts. I understand that some mention of him is made in _Hogwarts; A History_."

Hermione nodded absently, she had, after all, nearly memorized that book. She was in such shock that she almost missed his next words. "Naturally, since Lady Ravenclaw's daughter did not produce any heirs, as she passed at a young age, her estate went to her uncle's child. I believe there are quite a few treasures from Lady Ravenclaw herself in your vaults."

"My v-... wait! Vaults? You mean there's more than one?"

"Oh, my yes. As I said, the Stoneleigh line was especially prestigious. Naturally, since there has not been a magical descendant in over two hundred years, I personally don't know how many you have, but we can find out right now, if you like."

Hermione nodded numbly and allowed him to lead her through the process of retrieving her vault keys.

"Simply place your hand on the top of this box, inside the silver circle and repeat after me. Once the keys appear, only you can remove them from this box. Are you ready?"

Hermione nodded and they began.

"I..."

"I..."

"Hermione Jane Granger, Lady of Stoneleigh..."

"Hermione Jane Granger, Lady of Stoneleigh..."

"do hereby acknowledge and accept my rightful heritage..."

"do hereby acknowledge and accept my rightful heritage..."

"and summon all vault keys to my hand."

"and summon all vault keys to my hand."

A brilliant white light filled the office, forcing Hermione and Remus to shield their eyes. When they could properly see once more, Metallaugh opened the black box, revealing six ornate golden keys of various sizes, and motioned for Hermione to remove them.

"Excellent, My Lady! Now, let me see." The Goblin took out a scroll and perused it for a moment before he picked up the largest key. "This would be your Family Vault. Mostly keepsakes such as wands of deceased family members, furniture that does not go with the current decorative fashion, art pieces, jewelry and books that are too valuable to be kept in the home are kept in there."

Hermione's eyes lit up at the mention of the possibility of rare books. Now that she knew her Heritage, she could see where her eagerness to learn came from. Metallaugh picked up the next key, a rather old looking one with an ornate S on the bow (the part you hold onto), made of what appeared to be brass.

"This one is not one of our vault keys, but we do manage this asset as well. You will find that this is actually a Portkey that will take you to the front gates of Stoneleigh Manor. Naturally, it will not take you onto the grounds itself as, I believe, there are wards protecting against Portkeys and Apparation. However, once you have keyed yourself into the Manor's protections, you and anyone you bring with you can Apparate directly into the Entrance Hall. To use the Portkey, simply hold it in your hand and say 'Take me Home'."

Metallaugh picked up the next key, this one was gold and had the same look to it as the other Gringotts key. "Again, another vault key. I believe that this one and…" he picked out another key that looked similar, "this one, and…" again he picked out a similar key, "this one all contain some form of liquid asset, meaning money and unset jewels." He paused to let her absorb his words. "Normally, a family will only have one 'liquid assets' vault. Of course, it has been over two hundred years and with fluctuating interest rates and investments made by your account managers, over the years on your behalf it would seem that it has grown tremendously. I believe you are now the third wealthiest person in Britain, behind only your friends, Misters Potter and Lupin."

The Goblin must have interpreted the look on her face as pure shock, and rightly so! Hermione was, quite simply, floored. Never in all her dreams had she even imagined that this could happen.

'_Just think! All these years of Malfoy rubbing his wealth in our faces! HA!'_

"And last, but by no means least," Metallaugh picked up the final key with the Goblin equivalent of reverence. This key looked to be the same age as the Stoneleigh Portkey. Instead of an S, this key had an ornate R on the bow and instead of brass, this key was made of bronze. "This is the most remarkable of them all, if you don't mind my saying so. This is Lady Ravenclaw's personal key to Hogwarts."

Hermione gasped and stared at the piece of history that she had just inherited. She had read about the four keys to Hogwarts, of course. Each of them would open any door in the castle, no matter how it was locked. _Hogwarts; A History_ had told how each founder had a secret place. The keys were thought to be able to open these places as long as you knew they were there.

"Metallaugh," she breathed, "does that scroll tell you what Ravenclaw's key does?"

The Manager gave a deep gravelly laugh. "Indeed it does, My Lady. That key will, as you are no doubt aware, open any door in Hogwarts Castle and it will allow you access to Lady Ravenclaw's personal library."

"Oh!" Hermione could barely contain her excitement. "Does it say _where_ her library is?"

"I am sorry, My Lady. It doesn't say any thing about a location."

Hermione's face fell. How was she supposed to get into it if she didn't know where it was?

Metallaugh put the keys back into the black box and handed it to Hermione saying, "These are yours now." He began tidying up the desk and putting things away. "I am assuming that you no longer wish to open an account, so is there anything else I can assist you with today?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I would like to cash this check." She pulled out the check her mother sent to her. She couldn't believe it was only yesterday that she thought one million pounds was a lot of money!

"Very well, how would you like it? All galleons, all pounds or half and half?"

"Oh, well, won't all those galleons get awfully heavy?"

"No, My Lady. All of our money pouches are charmed to be bottomless and feather light. If you like, because you will be carrying around quite a bit of money, we could charm it to be theft proof as well. That way, only your had will be able to take money out, though anyone can put money in."

Hermione agreed to the extra charm. She couldn't imagine what she would spend 200,000 galleons on, so she only took 10,000 and deposited the rest.

With her new money bag in her purse along with the shrunken black box, she was ready to take on Diagon Alley!

* * *

My goodness! Nine pages and 3,552 words (not including Author's notes)! I hope this makes up for the really, really, really long absence. I'm hoping to crank out the shopping trip in the next chapter (finally, right?).

Any suggestions on what she should get? Let me know when you review!

Thanks for sticking with me!

AF Marauder


	14. Author's Note

Hey all

Hey all. I know, it's not a chapter. I just wanted to let you know that I've made some changes to the first two chapters (nothing major, just filling them out a little and fixing some mistakes). Instead of putting them on here, I started a Yahoo! Group. Just take out the spaces and you're all set.

This is the mature version… or it will be: groups. yahoo . com /group/airforcemarauder

This is the PG-13 version's group: groups. yahoo . com /group/airforcemarauder1

Just so you know, the mature group is only because I don't really know where this story is going and I want to keep my options open. If I decide to have a scene of indescribable carnage, I want to have a place where I can let those mature enough read it. Likewise, this is a romance, so … well … you know.

ANYWAY!

Hope to see some of you join!

Thanks again for sticking with me!

AF Marauder


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